The Nightstalkers
by SongOfStars
Summary: Peter threw Sylar ahead in time where he finds Claire alone & doesn't remember him. He keeps his dark secret from her until she hands him a second chance: a son! But when the world explodes soon after Noah's birth taking Claire with it, Sylar ends up in his own time with Noah. Is he sincere in ignoring the bloodlust? Can he save his future Claire & keep Noah a secret from everyone?
1. Chapter 1

**The Nighstalkers**

**Disclaimers:** I don't own anything. That's what you want to hear right?

**AN: **An A.U.. Another short Sylar/Claire fic that's been bugging me for a while. Damn plot bunnies hopping all over the place.

**Summary: **After another battle of powers with Peter, Sylar vows to kill the medic once & for all. But he had been thrown so far ahead in time & left with no way to get back. When he finds Claire, he realizes just how dire his predicament is. She no longer remembers him. Can his beloved cheerleader crack that stone he has for a heart? Can he find a way back before the world falls apart?

* * *

**(1) Forgotten**

Sylar flew into the cloud, hoping Peter would follow. He pulled the vapors around himself to hide & waited.

"I won't let you get away so easily, Sylar!" Peter threatened as he plunged into the cloud.

"You think this is easy?" Sylar released a small burst of electricity. It erupted in the cloud like a lightening bolt, striking Peter down. He slowly drifted to the ground & landed light as a feather close to Peter who was still picking himself off the dirt. "Hmm, you're right. This is easy," Sylar scoffed before catching Peter by the throat, using force alone. "You're hardly a challenge." He tossed the medic back several feet into the wall of the nearest building. He walked towards him as Peter crumpled at the base of the wall. "More like an annoyance."

Peter stood up & cracked his neck. Shooting a dark glare at the killer still advancing on him, he seethed in a low voice, "You're history Sylar! It ends now!"

"Yes," Sylar grinned, lifting his finger to make his deadly cut. "It does. You don't have all your powers any more. All you can do is fly at the moment. So I can put you down."

"Oh I switched while waiting for you to land," Peter hissed, nodding to someone standing close to him.

Sylar blinked. Peter & his friend had vaporized before his eyes. "Hiro's power?" He muttered a moment before his nose snapped sideways against the very wall he had just put Peter against.

Peter had teleported behind him & shoved Sylar forward. "Yep! Teleportation & time travel." He clapped one hand on Sylar's shoulder for a moment. Sylar spun around, hand up to cut, hoping to slice into Peter's throat.

Three large trees fell instead. Peter was no where in sight & Sylar was standing in what seemed to be a meadow, but the grass was withered & yellow. Sylar wiped the blood away from his face as his wounds healed, then groaned loudly. "What did you do to me now?"

Looking around, he could see that he was alone in a dying wilderness. The trees were mostly brown. The ones he had cut down had been bleached white. There were no more buildings or people around. He began walking forward, hoping to find a way out of this place & get back to civilization.

Sylar flew upwards to look at where he was. The deadwood forest stretched for miles in all directions. He moved over the grayed landscape for almost an hour but found no one. The sun was starting to set & the boney branches cast long shadows over the ground. He landed among the trees & leaned against one large white one for a moment, trying to figure out where he was. "I better still be in America, Peter, or I'm really going to make you miserable when I get back!" The tree fell away from him, causing him to stumble forward. Sylar glared at the dead log now lying on the ground, then kicked it. "I'm going to KILL you!" He shouted at the darkening sky.

Sylar was about to take flight again, this time to go higher & get beyond this strange place, but he paused when he heard water running. He went down the ridge to find a stream flowing to the edge of a cliff. It plunged into a large pool at the bottom. He saw someone swimming in it & silently slipped down the steep incline.

Staying among the brambles, he moved closer to the edge of the lake at the bottom of the waterfall. Here, things were greener & the lush plants provided better coverage. By now, he could see that it was a woman swimming naked in the water. She had long blonde hair. He watched her come out to stand on the shore, swishing her wet hair sideways to wring it out. He gasped under breath. "Claire?" He could only stare. He had always wanted to see her like this. He had obsessed over her for ages, but now that it was happening, he felt uneasy. It wasn't like her to go skinny dipping in wild lakes. He knew her better than that since he was the perfect stalker after all. He stood up.

Claire looked straight at him. At first, she was startled, seeing him there, then slightly confused as to why he was there. They stared at each other for a long moment of silence. Sylar wondered if she had forgotten that she wasn't dressed for she just looked at him as if questioning his very existence.

"Someone please say something," Sylar whispered under breath as they continued to gaze at each other.

Claire suddenly moved. It made Sylar jump a little. She picked up her dress, then looked beyond him towards the setting sun. He glanced around but saw nothing. Looking back at her, he noticed she had already covered herself at last & she was starting to move away from him, as if no longer caring he was there. Thoroughly confused, he watched her leave.

When she stepped onto a hidden path, Claire looked back at him. "Come! Hurry!"

"What? You want me to follow you?" Sylar asked. "Now that's a first."

"Come on!" Claire urged, almost terrified of something. But it wasn't of him for once. Quick as a deer, she was already running up the trail.

Sylar flew upwards to meet her at the top. But she never emerged. He couldn't find where the trail led to the summit. He dropped back down but in the gathering darkness it was hard to see where Claire had gone off to. He was about to call her but something whacked him from behind, screeching loudly. For the second time that day, Sylar was thrown forward. He quickly got up. He felt more than heard his attacker swooping in for a second blow. Sylar threw himself sideways & saw the beast glide by close to the ground. He snatched it with his power, throwing the creature against the rocks. It shrieked & squirmed, almost strong enough to break free of Sylar's forceful grip but he hung on.

"What the hell are you?" Sylar asked himself, slowly moving forward.

The thing was about eight feet tall & had membranes on its sides for gliding. It had spikes for teeth. Sylar raised his free hand & cut across the chest, splitting the beast open in a shower of blood. It screamed one last time, then quivered & fell still. He stepped forward to examine it, but heard another screech in the distance, then again but closer. There were others out there.

"What are you doing?" Claire had returned. She grabbed his arm. "You killed it without trapping it first? How?" He opened his mouth to reply but she pulled on him. "Never mind. Tell me inside. Now let's go!" She all but dragged him back up the trail & he soon found out why it didn't appear at the top.

They went into the cliff in an opening behind the waterfall. Claire bolted it shut then lifted a torch & led the way down the hall. The firelight cast dancing shadows on the damp rock. The tunnel soon opened up into a spacious cave lined with torches on the sides. Claire put hers in a stand by three others near the middle of the place then turned to him.

"What is this place?" Sylar asked.

Claire seemed to hesitate before answering. "My home."

"Really?" Sylar deflated slightly. She hadn't lied but he knew she didn't live here. Right? "Why aren't you back in Costa Verde?"

Claire put her hands up. "Slow down," she spoke evenly, as if thinking every word over. "You talk." She turned her head a little, like an owl. "Too fast. What is this place you mention?"

Sylar blinked. What the hell was going on? "Costa Verde?" She nodded silently. "Uh, It's a city by the ocean."

"You've seen the ocean?" Claire asked. "It has been many ages since I have." She turned & walked down another tunnel at the opposite end of the cave.

Sylar was about to follow, when he thought of something. "Not where, Peter. When? Oh I'm going to kill you for this!" He hurried after Claire. He found her in another cave that was lower than the one they had just come out of. The stream flowed through here, coming in from an opening.

Claire moved upto a large cage & checked it over. "Who are you?"

"Sylar."

"Sylar," She repeated to herself, then turned back to the cage. "How did you kill that beast out there?"

Sylar could only stare at her, realizing that she didn't remember him. Had someone erased Claire's memories? "It's an ability I have. I can move things just by thinking about it. That's how I caught that thing, then I just sliced it open with my power."

"I watched you," Claire said. "I've never seen such power before."

But she had! Worse, she had been at the brutal receiving end of them too. "Are you sure?" Sylar asked, still not sensing any lies.

"I've been alone for centuries," Claire said, making Sylar gasp. "The human race is extinct. I'm only here since I can't die." She turned to him. "Or so that's what I had believed for such a long time. How are you here?"

"I have your power," Sylar replied softly.

"You can't die either?" Claire asked. Sylar shook his head, but then his whole body began to shake. Claire merely clasped a bar on the cage & waited. "It does that," She said once the tremor was over. "Two or three quakes a day. You'll get used to them."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Claire shrugged.

Sylar leaned against the cage. "You haven't told me your name?"

Claire looked at him for a long time. "I don't remember."

"You don't remember your own name?"

"I told you," Claire said. "I haven't seen or spoken to anyone in a very long time."

"You speak quite well though," Sylar pointed out.

"I have a few books I used to keep reading," Claire began. "I thought I should keep it up in case I ever found someone. But I stopped since no one seemed to turn up." She moved closer to him. "Then you came."

"It's an accident," Sylar shrugged.

Claire put a hand on his arm. "I'm glad you came here. I always had a feeling there would be someone out there somewhere like me. Will you stay a while?"

"I don't have any other place to go at the moment," Sylar replied. "Claire. I'm going to call you Claire."

"Uh wow," Claire stepped back, almost bashful. "A friend & a name all at once."

The place trembled again for a moment. "Shouldn't we get away from here?" Sylar slowly let go of the cage once he could stand again.

"Where would we go?" Claire asked. "Anything within a day's reach will still shake. There isn't much cover out there from the Nightstalkers."

"Nightstalkers? That thing I killed?" Sylar said. "What exactly are those things?"

"They come out at night & eat anything they can catch," Claire answered. "Sometimes one will stray in here. That's what this cage is for. I kill them when they're caught. Usually shoot them with an arrow. They're not hard to kill if they aren't moving. But I guess you already know that. You must have killed plenty with that power of yours."

"I've never seen one until now," Sylar admitted.

Claire stared at him. "Is that even possible? There's a place on Earth they don't live?"

"Place. Time, more like," Sylar said. "I'm not from around here."

"I can see that," Claire replied. "Where do you come from?"

"New York."

"New York?" Claire exclaimed. "I've read about that place in a couple of books. Are we close to New York?"

"I have no idea," Sylar replied. "I don't even know where I am."

"Well how did you get here then?"

"Peter transported me," Sylar muttered.

"Peter. Is he a friend of yours?"

"HA!" Sylar scoffed loudly. "No. Hell no! We've hated each other since we first met. I would rather die than be friends with the likes of him. Am I ever going to kill him if I get back!"

"So there are others in New York?" Claire mused to herself. "If only there was a way to get there."

"I will try to fly there tomorrow," Sylar said.

"You can fly?" Claire asked. Sylar replied by flying upto the domed ceiling of the cave. Claire had both hands over her mouth by the time he came back down. "You have many powers?"

"Yes, I do. Peter used to as well, but now he can only have one at a time."

Claire finished resetting her trap, then walked by Sylar, heading back up to the previous cave. "I'd like to meet him," she said once Sylar had crossed the threshold into the living quarters. She closed the door & locked it with two beams of wood. "I have some fish ready. Are you hungry? You can tell me about New York & Peter." She pulled something out of the fire at the far end of the room where a small vent leading out to the sky could let the smoke out. She put the fish onto two small boards, then sat down beside Sylar on the floor near the center of the cave.

"What year is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure anymore," Claire admitted. "It's uh, seventy-two...something or other."

Sylar had to put his plate aside before he dropped it. "Could you repeat that please?"

"Seventy-two, something. I think seventy-two eighty or there about. Why?"

Sylar pressed the tips of his fingers of both hands to his nose for a moment. "I'm gonna crucify that guy!" Five thousand years? Peter had tossed him five thousand years into the future? No way!

"Peter again?" Claire laughed. "Are you sure you aren't friends?"

"That idiot catapulted me five freaking millennia into the future!" Sylar retorted. "If I ever find a way to time travel, he's going to die!"

Claire was still snickering. "What year is it supposed to be for you then?"

"Two thousand nine."

"That is far back," said Claire. "I can't remember it. I don't even know when I was born but I have been around for a few millennia anyway. What?" She sheepishly glanced around, then back at him. "What?" She asked again, still amused.

Sylar was looking at her in a way that usually would terrify anyone. He slowly stood up. "I know," he said. "I know everything about you. I was there."

"Really?" Claire finished off the last bit of her fish. "How? I've never seen you before."

That confirmed it. Claire had forgotten things because it was too long ago. She had forgotten him because Peter had ended it as he had promised. She didn't remember Peter either which probably meant that someone had taken Peter out at last. "I got my Regen ability from you," Sylar said. "You can't die & neither can I. You seriously don't remember me coming for you, to get your ability?"

Claire shook her head. "No. It was too long ago, I guess. But I'm glad you did. I'm not alone anymore." Sylar could only stare at her, not believing she would say something like that. She took his hand for a moment. "If you go to New York, can you take me with you? I'd like to find other survivors."

Sylar picked her up in his arms for a moment. "Yes I can carry you easily." He put her down. "But I should warn you, I don't think the New York of today will be anything like your books."

"It's still better than here," Claire pointed out. "It's by the ocean, isn't it? I'd like to see the ocean again."


	2. Chapter 2

**(2) A Hidden Entrance**

It was midday & the sun burned hot over the parched ground. Claire sat on a large flat rock in the middle of the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. She hadn't moved for several hours. She had woken up early in the morning to find herself alone again. The man called Sylar was nowhere in sight & by now she was beginning to wonder if she had dreamed about him.

"Claire."

She looked around to the shoreline & there he was! Claire stared in surprise for a moment then dove into the water & swam towards him. The moment she got out, she ran at Sylar & punched him hard on the chest. "Where have you been?" She screamed at him. "I thought maybe you weren't real. That I had dreamed about you or something. Where did you go?" She stood there in a rage, fists balled by her sides as if she was about to punch him again.

"Would you relax?" Sylar stepped away from her. "I didn't want to wake you. I was flying around, trying to get a bearing on where we are."

"Oh yeah?" Claire seethed in a low voice. "Where are we then?"

"I think we're somewhere in Wisconsin," Sylar said. "It looks like we're close to the Great Lakes."

"Fantastic," Claire put both hands over her face for a moment, then pushed back her wet hair. "I hate being alone."

"Sorry," Sylar put his hands onto her shoulders. "I was coming back for you. Are you ready to go?"

"It's too late now," said Claire. "The sun will set in a few hours, then the Nightstalkers will be out again."

"I can fly."

"So can they."

"Claire, I can cross the entire country in a couple of hours if I fly in a straight line," Sylar grabbed her hands with his own. "We can make it to New York with time to spare. I'm not coming back this time, so if you want to come with me, we have to leave now."

"You think you can make it there before the sun sets?"

"We'll be fine," Sylar picked her up & headed for the clouds.

Claire looked down to see the world fall away as they climbed higher. "This is really high. How far up can you go?"

"Close to the top, before entering space where the stars are," Sylar looked down to locate the Great Lakes that would give him a sense of direction. "I've never tried to go there though. I'm not sure if there is a limit on this power of ours & I'd rather not find out the hard way."

"Yeah," Claire laughed softly. "Good plan. Hey! SYLAR!"

He had let her go & she was now free falling through the air. He soon dropped beside her. "Miss me?" He grinned like a cheeky idiot.

"What are you doing? I can't fly!"

"I know that," Sylar grabbed her again & brought her up once more, only to drop her again. He was toying with her, like an eagle playing with its catch but instead of terrifying her, Claire was enjoying every minute of it. He lay back in the air beside her as they plummeted once more. "You really don't remember me, do you?"

Claire looked at him. "No."

"Hmm," Sylar caught her once more & headed to New York.

Claire felt herself going down once more, but this time Sylar was still holding onto her. He was descending towards New York. She looked ahead to see a large body of water, even bigger than the Great Lakes. "I think that's the ocean."

"The Atlantic one," Sylar hovered, looking around below them. "Er...where's Manhattan?"

"I don't know," Claire was also scanning the area below. "What's that over there?" She pointed to something jutting out of the water.

They moved closer. "It's the crown of the Statue of Liberty," Sylar landed on the highest point & placed Claire beside him. Only three tips stuck out above water. "It's all under the ocean!"

"You mean it's all gone?"

"Looks like it. We'll have to find the new shoreline of New York State & then start from there."

Several whales surfaced as Sylar flew inland. Looking into the water, the sunken cities of the past could still be seen. The mainland suddenly, rose up to meet them; a sheer cliff several hundred feet high. It looked as though the land had broken apart, dragging half of New York State down into a watery grave. Sylar landed on top near the edge & dropped Claire beside him.

"This is very different from the pictures I had," Claire looked out over the ocean. "I expected large cities with skyscrapers."

"New York had many big cities," said Sylar. "New York City itself had some of the tallest ones until the planes knocked down two of them. That was a terrifying day, even for me."

"What happened?"

Sylar stared at her for a moment. He had to remind himself that unlike him, she had actually lived through five millennia. "You don't remember nine-eleven do you?" He sighed heavily. "Come on. I think I saw a city, or part of one, along this shoreline. I'll tell you on the way."

"So that's what started that war?" Claire asked a while later.

"Well that one," Sylar began. "Then abilities started appearing in people all over the country & eventually the world. Those of us who were special had to fight our own government for a while. That was another mess." He held aside the branches of a bush to let Claire go by, then followed her. The both stopped on the crest of a hill to look down on the city they were approaching. "Now that's interesting," Sylar glanced over it. "See how it has a wall around it? It's protected from something."

"Maybe there are no nightstalkers in it."

"We can fly easily over that wall," Sylar pointed out. "Which means so can they. It must be something else."

"Could Peter be there?"

Sylar glared at her. "Oh I hope not. I'm not ready to fight with him right now. I have other things on my mind. Great. Now he's all I can think about. Thanks Claire." She just laughed at him as he brought them both over the wall.

The metropolis seemed to have been abandoned. Layers of dust covered the roads & even inside the buildings. Most of the windows were gone. Weeds & grass had taken over the ground. Only the birds flitting from tree to building & back again kept them company.

"It looks like the animals aren't affected," Sylar watched a pair of crows cackling to each other.

"I think whatever happened just affected humanity," Claire said, opening a door to the lobby of what seemed to have been an office complex. "Some sort of plague or whatever wiped it all out except for people like us. Weird saying that. There has to be others."

"We'll find them."

"Not today," Claire pulled Sylar inside. "The sun's going down. We need to find a place where we won't be followed." She led the way down a hall towards the center of the building. "We need to stay away from the windows." She opened another door, this one leading into a stair well. Claire put one hand on Sylar's chest to stop him from moving forward & silently pointed down over the railing with her free hand. One of the beasts was below them.

"They're inside," Sylar spoke aloud, alerting the creature. It spun around & jumped up to meet him, but he was ready for it. Bringing one finger up, he sliced the thing in half & its remains toppled down the stairwell. Claire just stared at him. "What? I'm a professional killer where I come from. It means nothing to me." He started down the stairs. "Here's another one."

"You are?" Claire exclaimed as she followed him. After the death shriek faded, she added. "You seem to have a lot of super-powers."

"Yeah well," Sylar shrugged. "They kind of turned me into a super-villain."

"Villain?" Claire scoffed. "I'd say more like hero. You're taking out more of these monsters in one day than I do in a week." She watched as he threw the pieces of another one through the door on the next stairwell landing.

Sylar looked up at her. "Where I come from, they call me the monster."

"I guess they never met one of these nightstalkers then," Claire replied. "Sylar, look out!"

Another creature had taken advantage of Sylar's distraction & was able to drag him out of the stairway by hooking one long claw around his leg. Sylar fell to the floor & disappeared from Claire's sight. She ran down the last few steps & burst into the hallway. The monster had dragged Sylar to the other end & was leering over him. Sylar twisted around & once more, sliced the creature to bits. He stood up in a shower of blood & gore.

"Perhaps I should clear out this building of these nightstalkers," Sylar said as he attempted to brush himself off.

Claire raised a hand to help him, thought better of it & groaned in slight disgust. "I think you should wash this off."

"I like blood," Sylar held up one hand, rubbing his fingers together, slick with blood. He silently inspected the red liquid as something tugged at the ability he was born with. Something about this blood needed to be understood, but he needed more.

"Ew," Claire made a face. "How can you do that?"

"Like I said," Sylar wiped his fingers off. "I'm a—"

"Professional killer," Claire repeated.

"I'm just used to it," Sylar defended as Claire laughed at him.

Within a couple of hours, Sylar had destroyed several more nightstalkers lurking in the area. After a while of not locating any more, the two of them entered a smaller room that only had one door & barricaded themselves inside for the night. Sylar had managed to find a sink to rinse off the blood, but only the cold water tap worked when it felt like it, sputtering when it was opened & was nothing more than a trickle. After half an hour fighting with it, Sylar had eventually given up.

"I got most of it off," Sylar muttered. "I think I'll just go jump in the ocean for a moment in the morning."

"Well for tonight," Claire pointed to the wall farthest from her. "You're sleeping on the opposite side of the room."

They had to sleep on the floor. Claire had found a closet full of long pale blue coats & so they used that for blankets. Fortunately, the night air was warm & muggy.

The next day as promised, Sylar dropped into the ocean close to the place they were currently staying. He quickly got out to sit on the shore as the blood left in the water attracted a multitude of sharks. He saw more whales farther out. He suddenly realized that since there was no one hunting them or destroying their habitat, the whales, & possibly other species as well, were now thriving & had made a huge comeback in numbers. He looked up towards the road when he heard a scream to see Claire picking up a dead rabbit she had just killed. The city was full of rabbits to eat.

While she dealt with her prize, Sylar took the time to stalk through the abandoned city. He entered every dark place he could find & often wound up face to face with a sleeping nightstalker which he would kill instantly. But what he really wanted to find was their nest.

A subway would probably be the best place for a nest of nightstalkers, but finding an entrance to it took time. Most of the city lay in ruins, overgrown with plants that would most likely obscure any way down under the city & the slight tremors every once in a while would make any rubble settle even more, but there had to be at least one opening somewhere. If those beasts could come out, he could surely get in & have a field day down there!

After a few days, Claire & Sylar were confident enough to move about their new home even at night for the beasts no longer seemed to come around. Claire thought that perhaps Sylar had killed them all that had lived in the area but Sylar wasn't so sure. He occasionally still found one the deeper into the city he went but they no longer seemed to come around, as if they were afraid of him.

One night, Sylar dared to enter one of the large office rooms that had broken windows on two sides, one of which faced the ocean. He stood by the empty frame, looking out towards the water as the full moon shown down over the ocean. His killer instinct kept him on high alert, but he didn't expect any nightstalkers to come.

"What are you doing?" Claire hissed from behind.

Sylar glanced back to see her by the door. "You should see the view. It's really nice from here."

"Are you crazy?" Claire kept her voice low. "It's all open here. What if one of those things show up?"

"I'll kill it," Sylar replied. "Like I always do. Come on." He grabbed her by power alone & yanked her towards him.

Claire landed in his arms with a slight yelp. She slowly pushed him away & stood straight. "We really shouldn't be here."

"They won't come," said Sylar. "They know me. Fear me."

"They're animals," Claire replied. "They eat any thing they can catch. How could they know you?"

"I've killed enough of their number," Sylar explained. "The blood of their fallen comrades still stain the streets around our whole block. That's how they know not to come here. Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?"

Claire all but glared at him. "You're insane."

"Well, yes actually," Sylar laughed. "Where I come from, I am legally insane. So is that a yes?"

"Sylar, I...what am I going to do with you?" Claire teased. "Now please come inside?"

Sylar looked back to the ocean. "Claire, we've known each other a few months now. I guess you should know my real name by now." He turned to her. "It's Gabriel."

"Gabriel?"

Sylar nodded. "Gabriel."

Claire gazed up at him. "So why did you say Sylar?"

"That's my killer name," Sylar replied. "At first, no one knew about Gabriel. It took a while for people to figure out who Sylar was because I don't leave finger prints. I kill by using my abilities, not by touch. Above all other abilities I gained, the one that's truly mine is the one that made me what I am."

Claire slowly echoed. "Abilities you...gained?"

"I'm a mimic," Sylar answered. "I can duplicate any ability I come across. So can Peter, unfortunately."

"Is that why you say you want to kill this guy you keep mentioning?" Claire asked. "Because he pretends to be you?"

"No, Peter & I just hate each other. Put us in the same room together & we'll fight like a couple of alley cats. We simply can't stand each other."

Claire burst out laughing. "I really hope I can meet this guy!"

"Oh shut up," Sylar grabbed her & held her in his arms.

"What are you doing?" Claire gasped as he lifted out the open window frame & drifted to the shoreline. "Sy...Gabriel. No. We can't! It's the middle of the night!"

"We'll be fine," Sylar pulled her along the sand by one hand.

Claire cast a nervous glance around as she moved closer to him. "I can barely remember the last time I was outside at night."

"Relax," Sylar pulled her towards the water until they were walking in the shallows. "They have to get through me if any show up."

They were soon running through the waves, chasing each other around. Not a single nightstalker swooped over them. Sylar eventually brought them both back inside where they could sleep easily in a barricaded room. The next night, they went out again, but to a different part of the shoreline. It soon became a daring habit of them sneaking out every night, each time farther away. Sylar didn't tell her, but he was looking for an entrance that would lead under the city.

He wanted to find another one of the monsters that would come out only at night.


	3. Chapter 3

**(3) By Any Other Name**

The nightly romps stopped abruptly when rain began pouring down in torrents from flashing clouds. The lightening never stopped flickering even though there was rarely any thunder. The deep purple billows pressed close, trapping the pair inside for nearly a week. When the thunder did sound, it was loud enough to shake the floor they stood on, adding to the small tremors that would happen periodically day by day.

"We never had storms like this where I come from," Sylar remarked one evening after a particularly loud bang.

"What are the storms at your home like then?" 

"Well the lightening didn't constantly flash like a camera," Sylar pointed out, wincing as another crash of thunder resounded through the halls. "Usually long breaks between one flash & one sound." He opened the door to the room with the broken windows to look at the ocean for a moment. The wind howled through the open area & he could barely see the water but the sound of the waves was enough. "Those are almost tsunami-like. No wonder Manhattan is gone. That's why this city has a high wall. It's to keep the ocean out so whatever happened to Manhattan wouldn't repeat itself here."

"That reminds me," Claire began. "Come see what I found in the lounge on the top floor." She led him upstairs past the lanterns she had set up to light the way & to the center table where a book lay. It was an encyclopedia for the letter N. She opened it to New York. "Look, it shows some of the changes over the past few hundred years."

Sylar flipped through several pages based on New York. "The Statue of Liberty was repaired or rebuilt several times it seems. Looks like that last one that we were standing on was a dark blue color. About three thousand years ago, Manhattan flipped over into the ocean due to a large earthquake. The resulting tsunamis took out half the state." He paused as he looked at some of the older pictures. "Here's the last picture of New York City before it was destroyed."

Claire looked at it, seeing cars that hovered in streets filled with people. "Is that your New York?"

"No," Sylar shook his head. "Mine was five thousand years ago. Not quite as sophisticated as that. Even your buildings have different designs. Yours are more streamlined. Mine were more angled. Wow, that survived?" He showed her another picture. "Now here's one from my time. That's the Twin Towers when they were burning. It's probably one of the most famous pictures on the planet."

Claire stared at the image for a long time. "It does have a sense of familiarity about it, but I thought maybe I dreamed it or something."

"The whole world felt like it was a dream, a nightmare," Sylar began looking through the book again. "We wished it was but then we all realized that we were awake. Here are your nightstalkers. Seems like they originated in Australia. Some sort of epidemic." He gave the book back to Claire. "I need to catch one of those things. Alive."

"Alive?" Claire gasped. "Whatever for?"

"I want to study it," Sylar answered. "I think they're the key to this whole plague & wiping out the human race thing."

"Good luck with that one," Claire scoffed.

"Were there any other books besides that one?" Sylar asked.

"Oh plenty," Claire pointed to a door on the side. "That opens up into a collection of books. I have a lot of reading to do again."

Sylar entered the tiny library, cast two flames out to light up the two torches on the walls & began systematically stalking through the area. "Where was that encyclopedia book?"

"Right here on the night stand," Claire put the book on a small table just inside the entrance door to the library. "I didn't see any others from the set."

"It's definitely someone's collection," Sylar kept moving through the three over-stuffed book cases. "Some of these are old." He fished a smaller one out from under three large ones. "Here's a medical book," He groaned under breath.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked a moment before putting her hands up to avoid getting smacked in the face. Sylar had tossed her the book. She opened the cover.

"It just makes me think of Peter," Sylar muttered. "He is a paramedic."

"Maybe this is his?"

"I doubt it," Sylar hoped. "We've been here for a while now. I can tell that the book has passed through a few hands before even getting here. Its last owner was an old man who made it a hobby to collect books. It means nothing." Despite his protests, he still snarled under breath like a grumpy old alley cat.

"Just saying the name really gets to you, doesn't it?" Claire lightly taunted. "But is it possible he's around somewhere right now? Is he immortal like us?"

"That depends," Sylar muttered. "He started out like me, being able to keep all his powers at once. But then his mimicry broke & he can only keep one at a time. So he can copy yours, but when he copies someone else's like time travel or flight, he will lose the previous one."

"I'm sensing a but here."

"Yeah," Sylar said slowly. "There's a rumor about a futuristic Peter. One with a scar across his face. No one knows how it happened. I mean, obviously he gets it while he is broken & can't heal." He fell silent.

"Another but?"

Sylar rolled his eyes. "The scarred one is more terrible in strength & a multitude of powers that his younger scar-free self does not have. His mimicry gets fixed & that one is once more immortal & apparently he also has my power which means he suffers the blood rage like I do. I never met him & from what I've heard, I don't want to. Few things terrify me. He's one of them! I think I'd rather jump into a whole nest of nightstalkers than face the scarred Peter."

"I didn't think you'd be afraid of anything," Claire exclaimed in a low voice.

"If you ever see him with the scar across his face, just run & don't look back."

"I wouldn't know if I saw him though," said Claire. "I don't know what he looks like."

Sylar gazed at her for a moment, remembering the effects of five thousand years. "I can show you. I can shape-shift." He shifted to Peter for a moment. Claire's jaw dropped. "That's him," Sylar went on when he shifted back to himself. "Just add a scar to it. I can't do it since I haven't touched the one with the scar or seen him."

"That's an amazing feat!" Claire was still gaping. She finally snapped her mouth closed. "So what is the real you then?"

"This is me," Sylar held up his hands for a moment.

"How many impressions can you do like that?"

"Whoever I touch," Sylar explained. "I try not to use this ability too much. It really messed me up for a while. I was almost schizophrenic until it settled. Out of all the abilities I ever copied, the shape-shifting was the hardest."

"Does it feel as weird as it looks when you shift to someone else?"

"Oh yeah," Sylar admitted. He paused for a moment, as if listening for something. "You know, I haven't heard any thunder for a while. Think maybe the storm is finally over?"

"Let's go check," Claire put the medical book aside to look at later when Sylar wouldn't be around to complain about Peter & headed for the door.

The storm had virtually stopped but the clouds remained, thick & heavy in the air. A dull light of midday only succeeded in adding to the grayish gloom under the clouds. They moved through the abandoned ghost town with Sylar a few paces ahead. It had been a while since either were out & both made use of the break in the weather to escape outside. They went farther into the city, away from the ocean still pounding on the cliffs & passed by what seemed to be a residential area.

Claire turned aside to enter into one of the yards. She found a large plant growing against the wall of what remained of a house, half of which had been turned to a pile of rubble & pulled off a large red fruit that filled both her hands. "Hey Gabriel! Look what I found."

Sylar waited near the road as she came back to him & handed over the large tomato. "That's a big one! You'll probably find a lot of things like this around here. Escaped from old gardens to grow wild now."

"I was hoping for something like that," Claire pulled out her knife but Sylar tossed the tomato into the air & sliced it in half with his ability. She sheathed her knife again. "Show off!"

"You like it," Sylar handed her a half.

"Maybe," Claire snickered between bites. "Oh! Looks like we're heading into downtown, literally!" The pair stopped suddenly at the top of hill that descended sharply away from them. On their right, down below them, an immense complex spread out before them. There was even an extension from the roof for flying machines; though, no helicopters were there.

"That's a hospital & it looks like it's in much better condition than that office building we're in," Sylar crossed the street to be on the same side as the hospital once they went downhill. "It's probably because it isn't so close to the ocean. The heavy winds didn't batter it as much."

"It might be full of our nocturnal friends too," Claire reminded him.

Sylar headed downward. "I'm counting on it."

"Oh boy," Claire half ran to keep up with him. Sylar seemed to be on a mission, but by the time they got to the large bay doors, she was the one ahead of him. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"Hospitals aren't really my thing."

"You're scared of hospitals?" Claire asked incredulously.

"No," Sylar looked up towards the double-pad near the roof. "It's just like, well, it's the exact opposite of what I do."

"What do you do?"

Sylar looked at her. "Hospitals are for saving people. I'm a killer by profession, remember?"

"I know that!" Claire scoffed. "Why do you think I want you to go in first, in case any of those beasts are in there?"

Sylar stalked inside. "Peter works in a hospital. He's an ambulance driver."

"Annnnd...there's the real problem," Claire smiled, earning a glare. "Maybe he's in here."

"If he is, I'll personally hand-feed him to one of your nocturnal pets," Sylar huffed. Claire followed him deep into the hospital, snickering to herself all the while until Sylar stopped abruptly & whirled around to glare at her. She grinned sheepishly before finally falling silent. "It seems empty in here," Sylar spoke after several minutes of scanning through the place. "No nightstalkers." He opened a large steel door leading into the morgue. "You'd think this would be a perfect place for them." Standing in the doorway, Sylar yanked open every slab at once but they were empty.

"I guess this hospital hasn't been used in ages either," Claire said. "Don't even have any dead bodies."

"I had thought as much but those creatures might have liked hiding in here," Sylar turned away. "Perfect place to trap one though." He started down the corridor once more but suddenly stopped, making Claire crash into him. He looked around then upto the ceiling to the next floor above them before moving on.

They entered a large waiting room with no windows & a door on either end. The second door opened into the ICU section that had eight smaller rooms. Claire went down the hallway to the walk-in closet. Several minutes later, she returned with a few extra clothes.

"The silks were used for patients," Claire laid them over one armchair. "These were what the nurses used." She handed over dark green uniforms.

"Silks? That's different," Sylar looked at the jacket, then glared at Claire. "Healer?"

"I think that is what paramedic is to you," Claire replied absent-mindedly.

"Trying to rub it in or what?"

"No," Claire groaned. "It's just what's there. Gees Gabriel!"

"I'm just asking," Sylar managed a short laugh. "Not the same colors that he has. Peter's outfit is dark blue."

"It might be hilarious if we run into Peter now," Claire said.

"What if he has that scar?" Sylar reminded her.

"Feed him to a nightstalker."

"Sure, if I can find one soon," Sylar stated as he watched Claire check into all the rooms. She soon found two beds & rolled them together into the same room. "What are you doing?"

"These are the only two good ones," Claire answered. "All that's left is part of one other bed."

"Ok," Sylar said slowly. "Why are you putting them in the same room?"

"Don't we always share the same room?" Claire returned. "We need to stay close to each other in case one of those things or your scarred friend shows up."

"He's NOT my friend!" Sylar snarled through gritted teeth. Claire just laughed as she clamped the wheels down on both beds so they wouldn't roll. Sylar leaned on the door frame. He raised one hand & the bed on the left skidded sideways through the wall back into the other room it had just come from.

"Hey! What did you do that for?"

"What's the point of having two beds, Claire?"

"Um, let's think. One for you & one for me?"

Sylar latched onto her by power & yanked her forward into his arms. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about this, have you?" He kissed her before she had a chance to reply.

Claire put her hands up between them, as if holding him off. She looked up into his eyes for a moment. "Well, no. It's been a few centuries but I, uh, no I haven't."

"A few centuries," Sylar echoed. "How long have we been together now? Have you never once considered this could happen?"

"I, uh, um, I've been...starting to," Claire stammered. "I think when, when we started, uh, sneaking out at night."

Sylar leaned close to her & whispered, "I know." He kissed her again, pushing her back towards the remaining bed.

She didn't fight him this time. He had wanted her for ages but in the past, she had always hated him for what he had done to her. But that was forgotten at last. Now she was letting him do what he pleased, asking for it, encouraging him to go farther. Finally after all this time, he was in bed with the cheerleader. For a split second, he wondered how long she had kept that up but was soon preoccupied with other things.

Sylar woke up in the middle of the night. Claire was curled up beside him, fast asleep. He lightly touched her hair for a moment before silently sliding out of bed. He held a small ball of electricity in one hand to shed some light & looked up at the ceiling while quickly getting dressed before stalking out into the hall.

Something was in here with them. He had felt it ever since they had entered the hospital. He closed every door he went through, blocking the way back to her in case the beast decided to come down a level, looking for them. Finding the nearest stairwell, Sylar floated straight up to the next floor. He put the light out & slowly stepped into the dark hall.

A soft wail sounded at the other end. Sylar stayed close to the wall, listening intently at the resonance. For some reason, it made him think of singing underwater, like a whale. The call came again, only closer. He felt himself being pulled in, as if he were drawn towards it & could think of nothing else. He dropped to his knees, shaking himself a little as the regen cleared up the hypnosis.

Another soft cry & Sylar moved forward once more without thinking before taking a few steps back when the regen healed his mind once more. "That's an ability," Sylar whispered to himself. "Some sort of hypnosis." He focused hard on regen as the nightstalker beckoned for him again. "Which means…"

The hall suddenly lit up as Sylar attacked with several abilities at once. Electricity, fire & an EMP pulse that could go nuclear if he allowed it to get too hot. The creature was right in front of him. It held up its webbed arms, shielding its eyes from the bright & sudden light. Sylar kept near the flames he had set.

The creature took off down the hall, away from the light & rounded a corner out of sight. Using force, he quickly extinguished the fires by slamming his power down over the flames, removing the oxygen just long enough to put them out. He summoned a large ball of electricity a moment later & ran after the retreating nightstalker.

He searched for almost an hour, but the creature had disappeared. Sylar knew it still had to be in the building since it was morning & the sun had once more appeared after the long storm. The nightstalker was trapped in the hospital with them for the day. He eventually decided to return to Claire, only to meet her halfway in the stairwell.

"What's all the commotion?" She asked, holding up a large candle to see him better.

"There's a nigthstalker on this floor," Sylar pointed up behind him for a moment. "I'm trying to catch it but it's hiding for the day. Claire, it has an ability. Hypnosis. Doesn't work too well on us since we heal."

"Why would it have any powers like us?" Claire moved upwards past him to get to the floor he had just come from.

"I have an idea," Sylar replied grimly. "I think whatever happened to the human race is worse than what you thought."

Claire turned back to look at him. "You're not seriously suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you?"

"I'll know for sure when I catch it & can look at it properly without the thing trying to eat me," Sylar said as he followed Claire into the hallway.

"What's down there?" Claire swung her light down a dark hall with no windows.

"I think it leads to the helicopter bay," Sylar tossed a bolt of electricity down the full length of the hall, lighting it up.

"I can hear screeching," Claire said.

"So can I," Sylar moved in front of her. "Must be a few more of them."

Claire put out the candle & left it on the floor. The two of them moved quickly but silently down the hall to the large bay doors opening up into a receiving area. Sylar threw out another blast of blue light. The effect was instant. There were five nighstalkers in the area, four together on one side & the one Sylar had been pursing by itself on the other. All put up their arms, using the webbing as shields against the sudden brightness.

Sylar held the light high near the roof. "They don't like the one I'm after," he whispered to Claire. "They don't have any powers & are shunning the one that does."

"What do we do now?" Claire asked under her breath as she stood behind him, peering around his right side.

"Don't move," Sylar took a few steps forward. The next moment, three of the group of four split in half & fell dead. Sylar grabbed the next one by force & threw it back, cutting it apart as it landed, then rounded on the one with the power of hypnosis. "Alright you! Let's find out exactly what you are." He raised one hand & a line of red began streaking across the nightstalker's face.

"What are you doing?" Claire called from her position near the doorway. "I thought you wanted it alive?"

"It is alive," Sylar finished his cut. "For now. It will die in a few moments. I just need its brain."

"Brain?" Claire repeated, not sure if she heard correctly.

"I'm taking that ability first," Sylar let the dying body drop & pressed his fingers to the sweet spot in the brain. A moment later, he pulled it right out.

"Ohh that's cold!" Claire exclaimed, half-shocked, half-nervous laugh. "What the hell are you going to do with that?"

"Not much more," Sylar shrugged. "But look at it. That's completely human. I knew it! We didn't die out. We just changed. Whatever plague happened, affected the DNA of humanity & we all changed. Except for people like us, since we heal & live forever."

"That's great," Claire cast a glance between the dead nighstalker lying close to Sylar's feet & the loose brain nearby. "That is the weirdest thing I have ever seen!"

Sylar moved towards her. "You ok?"

Claire sent him a sassy smile. "I almost feel sorry for the nightstalker."

"Almost?"

Claire held up one hand, pressing the tips of her index & thumb together. "Little bit." Sylar got close enough so that they would have been nose to nose if she wasn't so short, or him so tall, one of the two. Claire blinked. "Hey now. You're not thinking of doing that to me are you?" Sylar looked away. Claire watched him for a moment. "Gabriel? Are you, I mean, why would...Gabriel?"

"I'm already immortal like you Claire," Sylar finally spoke. "I don't need to." He took off down the hall, not looking back.

She followed him for a few minutes before asking in a small voice, "If you did do that to me, would I die?"

Sylar stopped walking, but still avoided looking at her. "No. You have to have something pushed in—"

"In that one tiny spot," Claire finished. "I know that. I suppose you have that as well."

"Yeah & it's just temporary anyway," Sylar went on. "If the shunt gets out, we come back." He began moving again but Claire put a hand on his arm.

"Gabriel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sylar finally lied to her. He usually didn't but now he didn't know how to tell the truth to her.

"I know something's going on," Claire pressed. "You can't even look at me right now. What happened?"

Sylar sighed heavily. "Did I scare you back there?"

"A little," Claire shrugged. "I'm over it now though. I guess mostly just startled at how different you were in killing that thing the way you did instead of just dropping them all."

"I never wanted to cause you more pain," Sylar whispered under breath.

Claire stepped in front of him, forcing him to look at her. "Gabriel, I'm fine. Besides, I can't even feel pain. My ability I guess." She turned & walked away.

Sylar followed silently. It wasn't her ability blocking her pain receptors. It had been him! A long time ago when he took her ability, he had shut it all off. But how to tell her? How to explain something eons had wiped out of her memory? Or should he even bother since, what was the point? Perhaps it was best kept secret.


	4. Chapter 4

**(4) Sylar's Secret**

In the next few days, Sylar had killed enough nightstalkers to drive them out of the old hospital. Once more, they learned to fear him & stopped returning to the place where he was.

But it was no longer enough. Now that Sylar knew what they were, his lust for human blood once more raged within him & he killed without leniency. It was worse than when he had started down his bloody path so many millennia ago, but this time, no one seemed to mind. The nightstalkers would try to eat them if left alone anyway, reduced to nothing more than beasts with basic instincts, & Claire had long since viewed them as monsters & saw Sylar as her saviour instead. He could literally get away with murder in this era & loved every moment of it!

Occasionally, Sylar would come across one with an ability. Those he would kill the old-fashioned way & take their power. It was probably the best time of his life. He could kill without consequence. Claire no longer feared him & now shared his bed. Neither Noah Bennet or Peter was around to hunt him down. He was free to do whatever he wanted. He had never been more out of control with his first ability than now but no one was around to stop him. The only hitch was that there were no lists to follow. If he came across a nightstalker with a power, it was nothing more than sheer dumb luck.

Sylar rarely killed in front of Claire. Unless they were going after her or near where she was, he would try to go out on his own after them. Claire didn't realize how many he had brought down & he didn't want to tell her. He didn't want her to start worrying about his killing sprees. What if she turned against him again if she ever found out? What she didn't know won't hurt her.

They had switched their location once more to a house still standing. The windows had been barred by the previous owners & it was relatively safe at night. They had the entire city to themselves & it became Sylar's playground at night long after Claire had gone to sleep. By day, he focused more on her & they would often explore the streets together, with Sylar silently picking his next hunting spot for the night.

The shoreline followed the metropolitan wall along the east side & often, Sylar & Claire would find themselves on a new part of the beach & watch the whales playing in the bay. Sylar had settled easily into his new life, free of having to look over his shoulder & having no laws to hide from. It had been ages since he had thought of the when of his situation or of ever going back. Why should he go back? Peter would be waiting for him as would Noah Bennet & the entire rule of America, which dictated the death penalty for his crimes back then. Even if he couldn't die easily, they still liked to threaten him with it. He was better off here. Nothing could touch him, or so he thought.

Sylar needed a major reality check & one evening while walking through the shallows with Claire, it finally happened. She had moved away from him to go out onto the rocks in the deeper waves close to where two pilot whales were feeding. She stretched out a hand towards the one closest to her, hoping to pet it. As Sylar watched her, he noticed something was different about her. She touched the whale's nose before it shyly swam away from her, then returned to Sylar's side.

"I can't believe I managed to pet it!" Claire exclaimed as she watched the whale dive out of sight. Sylar put a hand on her shoulder & turned her to face him. He looked her over, into her, through her. "What?"

Sylar slowly stepped away, letting his hand drop. "It can't be."

"What?" Claire asked again. Sylar suddenly grabbed her by force & held her against the cliff. "What are you doing?"

"Looking into you," Sylar muttered absent-mindedly. He soon let her go & turned away to look out over the ocean.

Claire shook herself a little, making sure she had control again, then went to him. "What was that all about?"

Sylar sent her a side-long glance. "Claire."

"Gabriel?" She waited, slightly impatient.

He turned to her & said in a hoarse gasp. "You're pregnant!" He walked aimlessly away, slightly shocked.

"Excuse me?" Claire yelped. "Wait a minute! How do you even know?"

"Ohh what have I done?" Sylar fell to his knees in the sand.

"You think I'm pregnant?" Claire stood before him. Sylar merely nodded, keeping his face in his hands. "You act like you never got a girl pregnant before."

Sylar finally managed to meet her gaze. "No," He could only whisper, still flabbergasted. "I haven't."

Claire burst out laughing. "Then what do you know? What makes you think I'm pregnant?"

"Because I can see it ok?" Sylar half-snapped. In a calmer voice, he added, "The ability I was born with. It makes me look into a person. I can see into their soul so to speak. I know if someone has an aneurysm or cancer cells or abilities. I can see if a female is pregnant. Back then, I missed out on two abilities because I came across a pregnant female each time & I didn't want to stress the unborn child. I knew what would happen so I left them alone." He sat back on his heels. "Your egg is firmly implanted into the left side of your uterus & has already divided once. I can see it if I use my power. You got pregnant a few nights ago." He reached out & took her hands into his. "I am so sorry! Oh God forgive me! What have I done?"

"Alright so," Claire began, slightly concerned at his reaction. "You got a girl pregnant. It isn't the end of the world. Well sort of," she glanced around at their surroundings. "But I'm not new to this. I've had plenty of children over the eons. But none of them ever got my healing power. They'd come out with their own, or none at all. Just letting you know what to expect in eighty to ninety years. Besides that though, what's the big deal? Is this really your first child?"

Sylar pushed himself up to stand. "I'm a killer, Claire. Remember?"

"Yes & you've done an excellent job at keeping me safe from those monsters," Claire replied. "Now we have a little one to protect as well."

"From the time I come from, I'm the monster. I would get the death penalty if I didn't have the regen."

"But why though?" Claire didn't understand, didn't remember something so long ago. "You're excellent at it. You can easily keep a person safe."

"The only person I was interested in keeping safe back then was myself," Sylar began. "Remember I said Peter & I are both mimics?"

"Yeah, what does Peter have to do with anything?"

"We both copy powers, but differently. He just has to be near someone," Sylar hesitated before finishing in a whisper. "I...I—I killed them."

Claire slowly blinked once like an owl as she began to realize something. "You're a...professional killer."

"I'm a whole lot worse than your average hit man for hire."

Claire stared at him for a moment. "When you say you're a killer, what you really mean is...are you...?"

"A murderer," Sylar finished for her. "A serial killer. I'm actually the world's worst one. I've taken so many lives, just to have what they have!"

"You use abilities to kill," Claire started, trying to think through what she was hearing.

"It's more than that," Sylar admitted. "I kill BECAUSE of an ability I have. The ability I was born with drives me to blood. It has a need for understanding, a hunger if you will. It's next to impossible to control. I was labeled a murderer for it, a serial killer & it's because of my ability I inherited from my father. The blood rage is genetic. I was very careful when I would sleep with women back then. Made sure to never get one pregnant & pass this curse on. I can see the cycles of women as well if I look into them with my power. I did that with you here often but sometimes, we were too busy with each other for me to think straight & now I might have passed this power on." They stared at each other for a moment. "I stalked people for their powers. I hunted them down for my own gain. Even went after Peter & I killed Nathan, his brother, who could fly. This is why Peter tossed me so far ahead into the future. They can't kill me so he got rid of me some other way. Peter's the Hero, not me. I'm the main Villian of the age back there. They're all terrified of me & rightly so. I'm like a vampire, only I don't drink the blood. I hunted people down like animals &...& that includes you, Claire."

"Me? Why?"

"People were trying to put me down, to stop me," Sylar explained. "Even ran me through with a sword. I killed without mercy back then, much the same as I do to the nightstalkers now. Only one has ever survived."

"Who?" Claire asked in a shocked whisper.

Sylar looked at her & raised a finger to point at her. "You."

Claire gasped, looking away. "Wait a minute. You say I was born back then. That you knew me then. So, when you called me Claire, that is my real name, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Sylar answered. "The cheerleader who could not die. You are the reason I am eternal. It's too far back, you don't remember me ripping you apart, do you?"

Claire slowly touched the side of her head with one hand. "You did...did what you do to the nightstalkers with powers...you did that...to me?" She searched his eyes, trying to understand but she didn't have his terrible power.

"You were very young back then, not even twenty years old," Sylar began slowly. "Where do you think I got my immortality from, hmm? That's why I know you can survive it, because you already did," he added softly. "It's also why I'm not going after you now. I have your ability. My power isn't roused by you anymore. You're safe from me."

"Am I?" Claire gasped. "You don't want me dead?"

"No, never," Sylar shook his head. "I just wanted your ability. I knew you can't die so I went after you, copied your power & left."

"You knew I would not die?" Claire all but snarled.

"Yes that's why I wanted your power in the first place," Sylar answered. "I knew you'd be fine & I wanted to be fine as well so I could be unstoppable. I'm also the reason you can't feel pain Claire. I shut it all off while I went in there to copy your power. I didn't like seeing you in pain & I knew the misery I was causing you wouldn't end in death, so I switched it all off."

A few moments of silence passed. "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Claire crossed her arms & turned to face him. "Why would you DO that?"

"My ability I was born with," Sylar moved away a few steps to sit under a tree. "It has a hunger for knowledge. A need to know more & more & more. It turned me into a—a monster. I would see something I didn't understand, like an ability, then this thing would take over & I'd get high on its lust. Then when I come out of the trance, I'm soaked in blood. I have a new ability but I suddenly know exactly how it works. I can't control it! Claire," He looked up at her. "I wasn't always like this. I had a perfectly simple life growing up, fixing watches & timepieces. Sylar didn't invade my life until I was an adult. Then that eclipse happened. Abilities awakened everywhere in a lot of people & I got landed with the most destructive one imaginable, passed down to me from my father. Then people started testing those who were special, myself included. They even fed the hunger with blood by putting someone with a power before me & then leaving me alone with them without explanation. Sylar would take over & someone died. Every time! Sylar took over my life. There is very little of Gabriel left. As Gabriel, I wouldn't have hurt anyone. I was the nerd in the back of the class at school. The shy guy. I didn't ask for this ability to appear in me. It just happened." He closed his eyes & put both hands over his face, unable to look at her. Claire knelt beside him & reached up to pull his hands away. "No. Don't!" Sylar pulled out of her grasp. "There is so much blood on these hands, Claire & I'm not talking about your nightstalkers!" He sighed heavily before daring to look at her. "Why are you still here? I thought you'd be running from me by now."

"Gabriel," Claire started.

"Gabriel's dead ok?" Sylar interrupted. "Sylar killed him too, a long time ago."

"From what you've told me, I can see Gabriel everywhere," Claire tried again. "Watching over, holding Sylar back."

"Holding Sylar back?" Sylar repeated incredulously. "Girl did you not hear a word I said?"

"Did YOU?" Claire countered. "You told me you missed out on two abilities because they were pregnant," she started. "That was Gabriel! You told me you turned off my pain receptors while you harvested my power. Gabriel again! Gabriel is the one who removed that aneurism from that waitress. Gabriel is the one who held me against the cliff a while ago to get a better look into me. He didn't hurt me. You told me you were careful not to have a child, worried about passing this on. Gabriel knew to be careful."

"Yeah until he screwed up & now three of us are here."

"You think he screwed up?" Claire stated rhetorically. "What if he held Sylar back to let this happen? Don't you get it? Maybe he knows you're ready for this now."

"My father was a monster," Sylar muttered. "I'm not talking about his ability either. He killed a lot more than I ever did but he also just wasn't a good parent. He sold me to my Aunt & Uncle instead. They raised me."

"Maybe he did that to protect you from his power," Claire pointed out.

"Hardly."

"He kept you in the family didn't he? Just at a distance."

Sylar gaped at her for a long time. "Maybe. I dunno. I'll never find out now. How am I supposed to raise a child when I've had little experience in the family business, plus this damned ability on top of it all?"

"Well whatever your family did wrong, you know what not to do with your own child," Claire said. "As for the ability, just let Gabriel lead the way."

"What if the child gets it?"

"Then we'll deal with it," Claire said. "Neither of us can die anyway & the only other things out there to kill are nightstalkers. Who cares?"

Sylar took a long moment of silence before saying, "Well...this is true."

"Speaking of which," Claire looked up at the stars for a moment. "We should get home. It's dark now. I'm surprised they haven't come swooping down at us yet."

"It's because of me, Claire," Sylar said as he got up. "I killed enough of them to scare them off. Just like before. It's the same pattern."

"At least there's a better purpose to it now," Claire said. "We can't die & I don't want to find out what one of those things looks like from the inside out, thank you very much."

"Uhh," Sylar groaned as he picked her up to fly out. "Claire that's disgusting!"

"It is!" Claire agreed. Both managed a laugh. They landed in the yard a few minutes later & went inside. Sylar tossed a flame into the fireplace & a few sparks around to light the candles before dropping onto the couch. Claire sat beside him. "So who came up with the name Sylar?"

"I did," Sylar began undoing the clasp on his old broken watch. "I never left fingerprints until an accident happened."

"That accident sounds like Gabriel again," Claire mused. "Maybe a call for help, knowing the power was taking control."

"That could be," Sylar handed over the watch. "It's actually a brand name. I was in the process of fixing this when my first victim sauntered into my life. That's when I got the ability to move things without touching them. I keep that watch as a reminder of what I can do, what I can become."

Claire held it up in front of her. "A watch." She tapped the broken centerpiece. "I haven't seen one of these in almost five hundred years. Watches don't exist anymore."

"Ok then!" Sylar exclaimed. "You just made me obsolete."

Claire snickered at him. "We all had microchips built into us instead. Just tap it & a screen would appear before you. Mine doesn't work any more. No interface to connect to." She handed the old watch back. "So that's what Sylar is reduced to. A scarred watch. Obsolete."

"Thanks Claire," Sylar took the watch back & put it on again. "That made me feel loads better."

She turned away, giggling at him for a moment. When she was finally composed, she looked up to find him laying back, gazing at her. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Sylar replied softly. "It's just, I thought you'd be afraid of me again. Hate me for what I did."

"It was a little surprising," Claire admitted. "But I know you better than that. Besides, it works out here, keeping those things away."

Sylar leaned forward & grabbed her shoulders. "But I need to control it now. I don't want to hurt you ever again & I certainly don't want to hurt our child. I have to find a different way of dealing with those things. If they get to close to us, then I'll kill for defense only. No more sporting."

"Sure but they just want to eat us anyway," Claire shrugged. "It's a them or us kind of thing."

"Perhaps, but I have to start somewhere," Sylar lay back, pulling her onto him. "I have nine months to get it right."


	5. Chapter 5

**(5) A Second Chance**

The rains came again, lasting over a week, then turning to snow. The white fluff barely lasted a month before the weather went back to dreary dampness. A few more mild quakes took out the main road & caused a section of the city to fall into the ocean.

Sylar had managed to avoid killing sprees but still had to take a few out if they came too close to home. One of them had time travel, so he instinctively took that ability but by now, he no longer had plans to go back. There was nothing in the past for him but a hate from the woman he now was about to have a child with & there was no point picking fights with Peter any more either. Sylar had more important things to do now.

While Claire was coming along nicely with her latest pregnancy, Sylar on the other hand was becoming a nervous wreck. He fretted often about sinking back to his old ways & having an accident involving the child. His biggest worry was passing the Gray curse along. Claire had once told him that kids change a person, but he could only hope that was true.

They still went out in the night without any problem. Besides killing the few that came too close, Sylar was also closing off any holes leading underground. It was on one such occasion when Sylar's time for training himself on how to do a better job of keeping his power in check came to an abrupt end. He had left Claire for barely five minutes to close off another possible entrance to the underground of the old city & came back to find her with the baby in her arms. He could do nothing but stare at her for a long moment as she leaned back against a large rock she was sitting beside to feed the child.

"What?" Claire finally asked.

Sylar glanced around. "Uh I expected screaming. Or something. For a long time. Isn't that how it usually happens?"

"I can't feel pain, remember?" Claire reminded him. "Labor & birth for me only lasts a few moments."

"Right," Sylar replied slowly. "Which is all my fault."

"Apparently," Claire carefully stood up & held out the child. "Would you like to hold him?"

"A boy?" Sylar gasped. "We have a son?"

"Mhm," Claire looked down at the boy. "All right little one, this is your father."

"Uh I've actually, uh," Sylar was suddenly holding the baby away from his body rather awkwardly across his hands. "Never held one. Ok. This is...happening."

Claire pushed Sylar's hands towards him. "Keep him closer to you & hold his head."

Sylar allowed her to help him hold the baby properly. Claire eventually backed away & watched them. Sylar looked absolutely terrified as he stood unmoving holding his son. "I'm afraid he'll fall to pieces in my arms," He whispered at last.

"He's ok," Claire tried reassuring him. "You're doing fine."

"I have literally no idea what I'm doing."

Claire petted the child's head with one finger. "Let's hope you don't grow up as clueless as your dad, ok?" she laughed.

"Let's hope he doesn't grow up like me, period!" Sylar corrected.

"He'll be fine," said Claire. "We should go home before he wakes up."

"Good idea," Sylar cast a quick glance to the starry skies before following her.

They walked in silence until they neared the house several minutes later. "I know you said I could come up with any name," Claire suddenly started. "Are you sure you don't want any part of that?"

"It's the least I can do," Sylar replied. "After what I did to you. I know you don't remember, but I do. I don't want to control your life like how I tried to do back then."

Claire opened the door & let Sylar go in first. "What was my dad's name?"

"Which one?" Sylar asked absent-mindedly, still unable to tear his eyes from his son's face.

"What do you mean which one?" Claire half-scoffed. "Whoever sired me. How can there be more than one?"

Sylar slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, silently berating himself for the predicament he had just put himself in. "Oh, I mean, well you were adopted. Noah & his wife adopted you. They had a boy a little while later & a dog."

"Ohh," Claire gasped in surprise. "I was given to another family?"

"Yeah pretty much," Sylar needed to steer out of this conversation immediately. "So you want to call him Noah then?"

"Sure," Claire sat down on the couch & Sylar returned his attention to his son, hoping she wouldn't ask about the other father, the one he murdered. "Do you know why I was adopted? Were my parents dead?"

Ok, that was an easier question than he had expected. "It was a political thing. You were born from an affair."

"Great," Claire scoffed. "Did I ever meet them?"

"Oh yeah," Sylar answered. "Everyone eventually knew each other."

"So what was my real dad's name?"

"Nathan," Sylar eventually dropped into the arm chair still holding Noah, the fact that he had mentioned Nathan by name once before didn't occur to him.

But Claire remembered just fine. "Isn't that the one who could fly? Peter's brother?" Sylar could do nothing but silently look at her. "The one you said you killed?"

"Yes Claire, that's the same one." He answered at last.

Claire rubbed her face with both hands for a moment. "Wait a minute. If Nathan was my father then...then Peter—I'm related to Peter. He would be my uncle?"

"That's right."

"Wow! You weren't kidding when you said you had really messed up my life."

"I really am sorry Claire," Sylar said. "It was a different time back then. We all hated each other. Sometimes not even Nathan & Peter got along & I think Peter was starting to pull away from you for some reason. But I was out of control then & the entire Petrelli-Bennet clan banded together against me so I pushed back fighting hard & a lot of people got hurt. Now you know why I am really trying to hold back."

"Perhaps it's best I don't remember," Claire began. "I mean, I know you now. I can see how you struggle with it but also how you restrain yourself."

"I tried it back then too," Sylar pointed out. "It didn't work."

"But you had nothing worth fighting for then," Claire looked at Noah. "Now we have him."

"Yes & he terrifies me more than anything," Sylar petted the baby's head for a moment, then held up his free hand. "These hands have no business holding such innocence."

Claire moved towards him & put his hand back on their son. "Or maybe they do. This is your second chance. You can keep him safe." She watched them for a moment. "So Petrelli & Bennet are my family names? I know people have more than one name. That's how it is in the books I've read."

"Petrelli is your birth family & Bennet is your adoptive one."

"What about you?" Claire asked. "I know Sylar is an alias so that doesn't count. Do you have more than one name?"

"Gray."

She looked down at the baby. "So Noah for the one who raised me. Petrelli for the one who sired me. Bennet for me & Gray for you."

"That's a whole lot of messed up right there," Sylar managed a short smile. "How we all hated each other back then. Maybe it's a good thing he is born now."

"You'll get it right this time around."

"Claire if I mess up again!" Sylar gasped. "Don't you leave me alone with him."

"One day at a time," Claire took Noah back as he had woken up again & was starting to fuss.

One day at a time become the motto for everything because now the two of them had to settle into the delightfully dreadful routine called 'parenting' & even with the regen they both had, Noah still managed to do his job of exhausting both of them & seemed rather pleased about himself in doing so constantly.

Claire had found plenty of things for the baby in the children's section of the hospital & she settled rather quickly into motherhood, having done it many times before. Despite his worries, Sylar spent more time with Noah than he had planned & he was about as over-protective of Noah as Claire's parents had once been of her. Even a twig snapping would cause him to investigate & more than one poor wee bunny was blasted to bits before he finally acknowledged the fact that not everything was out to get his son. (Or perhaps the fact that Claire yelled at him to at least keep the rabbits in one piece instead of wasting a perfectly good cottontail so they could eat it.)

Sylar eventually settled down (as did the surviving distressed rabbits) & surprisingly took to fatherhood quite well. It was rare he would be seen without his son next to him & Claire often referred to Noah as his little shadow. In fact, Sylar rarely put him down apart from the times Claire needed to feed him. He didn't like letting the child out of his sight & felt that nothing could touch Noah so long as he was around.

But there was one thing that could destroy his new-found life & there was nothing Sylar could do about it. The tremors of the earth were becoming more frequent & both he & Claire had eventually decided to leave the area for less shaky ground. Sylar was loathe to move though for it meant a whole new batch of nightstalkers to kill which would mean giving in to his blood rage once more but there really wasn't much choice in the matter.

It had been three months since Noah was born & in all that time, Sylar had managed to keep himself under control (hapless lagomorphs not included) & for the first time in his life, he truly dreading having to kill.

They spent their last day at the beach. Claire had gone swimming while Noah passed out. Sylar had made a hole in the sand to place the baby in, then spread himself on a large flat rock so he could watch over him. He resembled a panther, lying face down with his wrists crossed, to rest his chin on. Sylar seemed almost asleep, but his half-closed eyes were focused downward on Noah. He didn't see the water suddenly pull back. He didn't see the wave rise up.

He felt a deep boom in the ground & heard the ocean itself explode. Noah screamed a moment later. Sylar wanted to jump down to him but had no need as the force of the quake threw him down on top of the baby. Sylar grabbed Noah then looked around for Claire, only to find a large gaping canyon where the ocean once was. Clutching Noah tightly, he flew down, looking for her. The cliff came down with him & Sylar had to choose between going after Claire or getting Noah out of there before a boulder knocked the child from his arms. He swooped upwards & headed for the sky. He wasn't too worried about Claire just yet for he knew she couldn't die, but it would be a hell of a chore looking for her in this mess.

But the magnitude of the quake was only realized when Sylar hit the atmosphere & looked down for a safe place to land. There was no safe place. The planet was disintegrating into at least three pieces, if not more.

"Claire..." Sylar wondered if they could survive this. He stayed in the air as long as possible, watching the destruction, hoping Claire would show up somewhere. But it was getting harder to maintain flight as even the sky was disappearing & then Noah started gasping for air. Sylar looked at the baby who had yet to manifest any ability. Noah couldn't survive this, at least not right now. He had to get the child out of here now! "Claire I'll come back for you!" Sylar took one last look at the exploding planet before transporting back to his own time.

Sylar landed in a very different New York from the one he had come from. This one was still above water, busy, loud & dangerous. He used to be the most dangerous thing on these old familiar streets but now it seemed almost foreign to him.

It was in the middle of the night but cars were still going through the streets & in the distance, the wail of a siren, possibly Peter's ambulance, was heard. Sylar found a newspaper stand nearby & checked the date. It was only a day after Peter had shoved him forwards in time but to Sylar, it seemed another lifetime ago. A literal lifetime, named Noah.

Sylar went to his apartment, cautiously approaching it from the back. He checked around often for Peter but no one seemed to notice him. He quickly entered but left the lights off. There was a ray of light from a street lamp shining in through the window. Sylar placed Noah on the floor in the spotlight & lay down beside him.

"It's ok little buddy," Sylar held the baby under him. "You're safe now." Noah eventually stopped crying & lay there, looking up at his father as if to say 'Now what, genius?' Sylar petted Noah for a moment. "Alright, you stay quiet. I'm going to go get your mother. It should only be a moment for you."

Sylar stood up & attempted to move forward five thousand years, but he wouldn't budge. He tried beaming over to the opposite side of the room & it worked just fine. He tried returning for Claire once more but his power would block. "Come on, old man," Sylar berated himself. "I need to get Claire!" He tried moving again but ended up in the Bennet home all the way on the other side of America. He appeared right behind her but she was lying on the couch reading something, mercifully oblivious to his presence. He backed away into the kitchen. "Not that one!" Sylar muttered to himself. Mr. Muggles started barking at him but he was already in the process of returning to his son's side. After several more failed attempts, he lay on the floor next to Noah & stared up at the darkened ceiling. "I guess it's all gone. There's nothing to go back to." Noah made a small sound, indicating he was awake. Sylar rolled over onto his side. "Don't worry little one. We'll get your mother back. I'll figure it out. That is my original ability after all. It'll just take some time." He laughed softly at the irony as he lay over Noah, holding the baby under him between his arms, making a sort of nest.

Dangerous though it was, Sylar slowly let the old Aptitude take over. He needed to see ahead, calculate the optimum time to return. But with the intuition came also the lust for blood. It was harder trying to understand without having something tangible to study but there was nothing of the kind for this. He needed more, but this time there was no more to be had.

Sylar almost gave in, almost got up to kill someone just for the fun of it. Noah was safe from him. He had no interest in an innocent baby & he was rather attached to his son. Literally, he suddenly realized, feeling an odd sensation at his left nipple. Noah provided a distraction that snapped Sylar out of his bloody-thirsty trance. "What the—wait a minu—hey hey! NO!" Sylar quickly pushed himself up & crossed his arms protectively over his chest. Noah had somehow managed to start trying to suckle off him. "Dude, I'm a guy. That isn't going to work." Noah looked up at him & made his first scowling face, tiny brow burrowed low in displeasure. "Don't judge me! It's just how I got born ok? Same as you. We can't lactate. Ever! How'd you even find that through my shirt, hmm?" Noah was still scowling. "Right, I guess the first thing I'll be teaching you about is the differences of the sexes."

Blood rage completely driven from his mind, Sylar now realized that he would have to come up with a way to feed Noah. Claire wasn't available right now. The one with the milk was lost five millennia ahead in time & the one here hated his guts, didn't have children yet & was most likely still a virgin. Sylar blinked, then pressed his fingertips of one hand to the bridge of his nose for a moment. "Hang on kid. Daddy's just having some really crazy thoughts about your mom right now." He stood up & went to the wall to press his forehead to it. "If she only knew now what is going on, she would really hate me. As if she doesn't have enough to hate about me already."

Noah started crying, causing Sylar to move away from the wall & into the singular beam of light. The moment he came into view, Noah fell silent & watched him. Sylar moved away & after a moment, Noah called for him again. Sylar returned to the light & Noah was instantly silent again, his eyes fixated on his father.

"Hmm," Sylar knelt down. "Good boy." Noah just stared at him; more like good daddy being well trained without realizing it, thank you very much! Sylar leaned over close to Noah's face, almost nose to nose. "Well, first things first. We gotta figure out how to feed you." He glanced around & in the dimness beyond the lit window, he saw something on the table that he hadn't used in almost two years, even though it was technically yesterday at the same time. His phone was lying there. He summoned it to his hand but then was stuck trying to figure out how to use it since Noah had grabbed his hair & he was now being held down close to the floor by a baby. "Come on Noah! Seriously?" He sighed heavily. "Great. Ok. I'm getting my ass handed back to me by a three month ol—OW!" Noah had yanked on the tuft of hair & pulled it right out. Sylar cracked his head up & actually growled at his son. "Bad, bad baby!" Noah ignored him, now playing with the tiny handful of hair. "Whatever." He finally opened the phone, took a moment to remember his password, then called the nearest pharmacy.

He lay back on the floor close to Noah but soon realized it was a mistake as Noah made an attempt to eat the hair. Sylar sat up & began prying it out of tiny fingers. "No don't eat that!" Was the first thing the pharmacist heard on the other end.

"Excuse me?"

"Not you," Sylar replied. "Just trying to pry my hair out of my son's hands." After making sure he had gotten it all away from Noah, he added, "Do you have any idea what to feed a three month old boy who is used to breast milk?"

"We have plenty of formulas for that," the lady began. "But it's usually best to try to get him to nurse again if possible."

"It isn't. His mother just—" Sylar stopped himself. It was really weird saying that about Claire. "She just died."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she began. "We are open for another hour so come right in. What's your name?"

"Gabriel." Once Sylar hung up, he looked down at Noah. "Now all we have to do is dodge that great-uncle of yours. He's probably out on the streets right now with his ambulance." He scooped Noah up in one arm & made his way to the washroom. As soon as he had closed that door, he finally turned on the light.

He looked at himself in the mirror. It was supposed to be Sylar looking back, no glasses & a look to kill, but there was something more wild now than just a stalker on the streets of New York. Sylar was now used to living in a feral world with no one else but Claire & Noah around. The streets there were filled with wild hares, overgrown with grass & the air had been cleaner with only the ocean & birds for sound. Now though, the streets were busy & unsafe even without him around & the city was large & loud. Sylar suddenly realized he was no longer used to modern day New York. On top of it all, he had to risk running into Peter while having his son with him. He suddenly realized he had a whole new reason to fight Peter, or anyone for that matter.

Sylar had something to protect which made him more dangerous now than ever before.

"Well, we do need to get to that pharmacy," Sylar looked down at Noah. "I'm not leaving you behind. My apartment has been raided before." Noah continued to silently gaze at him. "Oh don't judge me," Sylar ordered for the second time. "You look a lot like your mother when you do that by the way. I kind of deserved it back then I guess."

He looked at Noah's reflection for a moment & it suddenly dawned on him. He couldn't stay here. He had to leave & take Noah with him. In this time, everyone was out to kill Sylar for what he had done. They wouldn't know exactly how much he had changed & some of them wouldn't care. Neither did anyone know about Noah yet & Sylar decided it was best they didn't. The entire family was against him. HIS family! Sylar was now related to the Bennet-Petrelli clan by actual blood through Noah. Then of course there was Claire. Here, she was a teenager still. Would she even accept Noah as her own? Not to mention what Sylar had done to her in this era as opposed to in the future, something he knew Claire would not like right now.

"We need to leave America," Sylar told Noah. "I doubt Peter would hurt you, but he would take you from me. They all would take you & your grandfather, Noah Bennet? Well he is worse than I am & I won't let him mess you up like what he did to me. I can only imagine what the Company would do to a son of Sylar!" He paused to think it through, letting his own power work it out. "Yesterday, Peter threw me forward over five millennia. He probably gloated about that by now. He thinks I'm gone." He held Noah up a bit. "That was sheer dumb luck. We can stay gone. You really are my second chance, aren't you? It's just you & I now, little one. We have to leave it all." He glanced to the mirror once more. "And that includes you, Sylar. Only Gabriel can go."

He reached for the tap, turned it on, then off again. It was weird having water readily available. He was used to being in the ocean more often than not. He turned the tap on once more & watched it pour out for a moment before starting.

It was harder burying Sylar under the mask of Gabriel Gray for he only had one free hand. He didn't want to put Noah down in case someone showed up & he would have to run for it. At last, he slipped on the glasses & Noah instantly started wailing.

"Noah," Sylar pulled off the glasses & looked down at his son cradled in one arm. "It's alright. It's just me." Noah was quiet once more. He tried the glasses again but Noah wasn't having any of it. Sylar laid the glasses by sink. "Noah, believe me. You don't want it the other way. I'll make sure you never know Sylar. I have to protect you from everyone, even myself. Now," his hand slowly reached for the glasses. "Please let me put them on?" He tried again but no, it was not acceptable. "Alright." He put them down again then glared at his reflection. "I'm not leaving here without those glasses. You're staying behind, Sylar!" He switched Noah to his other arm & tried the glasses again but this time he didn't even have a chance to get them fully on before Noah loudly announced his dislike. "You scream as loud as you're mother when you want to & I'm not talking about in a good way either." Sylar put the glasses down once more. "Believe me I know. I hate how it happened, but it had to be done so I could copy her power properly. I knew she'd be fine but she still hates me for it." He looked Noah over. "What am I going to do with you?"

Noah no longer cared what was to be with him so long as Sylar looked like the father he was used to seeing. Daddy's latest training session now over, Noah began tugging at the edge of the blanket wrapped around him, giving Sylar an idea. Noah could hear something softly banging, feel himself being moved around & suddenly everything was white. Sylar had dropped a white towel over the entire baby.

"You'll learn, kid," Sylar finally put his glasses on without problem. "Just listen to my voice instead. You'll forget what I look like without them soon enough."

Sylar teleported close to the store. He took his time checking around & even instinctively glanced to the sky for the nightstalkers before remembering they wouldn't exist yet. Once he deemed it safe, he eventually moved forward. Someone ahead of him stopped to get a drink from the machine outside, slipping in a few coins. "Right," Sylar watched the man leave. "We are still using money in this millennia." He quickly transported back to the apartment. Using his force power he ripped open the wall between the sink & bedroom, then pulled out not one but two extra wallets. "Your dad wasn't a very good person back then," Sylar explained to Noah mostly to get him used to his voice more. "Grandpa Bennet had all my accounts frozen but it makes no difference to me. I have the Midas touch." He turned to leave. "Wait. I might as well hmm?" Another blast of power & the top drawer of the desk opened & then an old golden gun flipped forward to his hand.

Pushing the glasses up into his hair, he pulled back the towel for a moment & held the pistol sideways in one hand & showed it to Noah. "You like how it shines? I killed someone for it & got the Midas touch from him, then I nailed his daughter, then killed her too. Although for her it wasn't murder even if others think it is. Elle & I are both suicidal but I can't die thanks to your Mom." Sylar hid the gold gun under his coat. "I have her power too." He held out a blue spark to Noah as it crackled in his palm. Noah watched the dazzling light as if bewitched. Sylar laughed softly & put the electric bolt away. He tapped his coat where the gun was hidden. "Not that I need the weapon. I am a weapon as you can see. But the gold is useful. Consider it the start of your college fund." He put the towel back over Noah & brought his glasses back down to his eyes.

Sylar left his New York flat for the last time, never to return. He returned to the store & found the woman he had spoken to. Her first question was about the towel over the baby.

"He doesn't like my glasses," Sylar began. "We had a huge argument about them a while ago. He cries when I put them on & instantly shuts up with them off. So now he can't see anything & he's fine until you take the towel off."

The woman laughed at him. "Well I've handled many crying babies. Let's have a look." She took the towel off. Noah glanced up at his father while sucking his thumb for a moment before grasping the blanket with both hands, perfectly silent.

"Go ahead & make a complete ass out of me, why don't you Noah?" Sylar glared at his deceptive son.

"Ahh," was all Noah did.

"Whatever," Sylar gave up, accepting the items offered him.

"There is a list of instructions I put inside," the lady said. "But he might not accept it right away until he gets used to the idea of not having his mother. Just keep trying. He'll eventually be hungry enough to take it."

"I'm sure he's already scheming something," Sylar replied. "Sometimes I wonder if he's trying to train me."

"Oh he is!" the lady laughed. "He'll try to have you wrapped around his finger by his first birthday."

"Great," Sylar complained. A moment later, he almost dropped Noah as the baby had let out some sort of scream. It sounded happy. Sylar glanced down at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Actually he just laughed," the lady said. "Was that the first time?"

Sylar blinked. "Yes!"

"Are you a first-time father?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck!"

"Thanks," Sylar gasped as he turned to leave. "I'm going to need it with you, aren't I?" He asked Noah as he walked down his old stalking routes but without really noticing this time. "Well if you're half the trouble your mother is, I'm going to have my hands full & if you end up remotely like me, that'll be a nightmare." He paused as he came to the corner of the smaller street leading into the main thoroughfare running through the heart of New York City. He held up his phone & tossed into the middle of the road where it was instantly smashed by passing vehicles. He looked at Noah. "We can't have any tracking device on us. Now let's get out of here before Peter comes calling. We can't stay in this country right now & probably best not to be on the same continent." He held Noah up, earning another laugh. "When you're old enough to defend yourself perhaps but for now, we have to hide."

Sylar needed something unexpected. A place no one would think he would ever go. It would have to be a country he was never in either so that possibly no one there would have ever heard the name Sylar & would be more concerned with its own affairs & not bother him.

Knowing exactly where to go, he held Noah a little closer & disappeared on the spot.


	6. Chapter 6

**(6) Lock Away The Secrets**

Sylar stretched out on the sand, then looked under him to check up on Noah. The baby was still sleeping in the depression Sylar had made for him. The rising sun blinded him as he glanced to the ocean, expecting to see Claire for a moment before remembering what had happened. He was back in his own time now & his Claire was stuck thousands of years ahead of him for now. He stood up & looked around.

They were on an endless stretch of sandy beach. Set back from the shore was a large ocean-view house with a manicured property. Ordinarily, he would just take the house with Claire & Noah but in this era, that wasn't possible. He was now used to roaming the land without having to worry about where to live. The whole planet had been theirs. It would have been great for Noah but now in a world ruled by society, he had to set boundaries for the child.

This place was similar to what the three of them had, or perhaps will have; although it was the Mediterranean Sea instead of the Atlantic. Sylar had picked Israel for a number of reasons. He had never been here before & the thought of coming here had never once crossed his mind until now. No one here would know him. It had some of the best schools in the world for Noah someday & its endless advances in technology might one day serve his purpose of literally keeping the planet together so he could get his Claire back.

Then perhaps the three of them could live in a house like the one above the shore. Sylar looked at it again. It was a perfect place. But someone probably owned the house & rules applied to this time that weren't there in the future.

Sylar dropped down to the sand & sat next to Noah before the owner of the house would notice them. Noah let out one loud yelp causing his father to jump & look down at him. The wallet had fallen out of his pocket & smacked the poor baby in the face, waking him up. Sylar picked it up, ignoring the judgmental scowl. "Keep that up & I'll nickname you little Claire." Sylar absent-mindedly rifled through his wallet, expecting American money & American cards.

But instead, it had Israeli money already. He also found an Israeli credit card he had never had before. Digging deeper, he found two folded documents, one for him & one for Noah. Sylar now had dual citizenship for America & Israel & Noah was just Israel.

"Gotta be some mistake!" Sylar slowly stood up. "I don't remember ever getting citizenship for this country & who the hell knows that much about Noah already?" He pulled the glasses off & scanned the area as if looking for a kill. Someone had an unhealthy interest in his child & he didn't like it. His original power did all kinds of twists in his mind, trying to sort out what was going on. He put one hand into his coat & felt the golden gun still there & right next to it was a new phone. He started at it for a moment, then looked into the back pouch of his wallet to find a gold key. Real gold & another ability of his told him that it had been changed to gold by touch. "I did this. But how?" He looked back at the house again. Something told him that it was his & Noah's already. He fished Noah out of the nest of sand & holding the key in his free hand, he cautiously approached the house.

Though he could easily open any door using an ability, Sylar slipped the key into the lock just to see & sure enough, the door clicked open. He stepped inside to find the house already set up for someone with a young child. He placed Noah in the playpen in the massive living room & slowly moved part way through the house, keeping the entrance to the living room in sight. There was a note on the kitchen counter, a bar counter at that.

"Go back in time, old man."

Sylar glared at it for a moment. He looked at the credit card again. It was for an Israeli bank but the name on it was Claire Gray. He put the glasses back on & hurried back to the living room. Noah was back to his antics & again voiced his displeasure at the new look. "Shush!" Sylar held the baby's lips closed, by force alone. "Get used to them. I'll put the towel over you again if I have to. I'll be back in a moment." He looked at the clock on the well, then checked his old Sylar watch he still had. He set it to the same time where it would stay since it didn't work anymore before he disappeared, then immediately reappeared. "Well a moment for you anyway." He was gone once more. Noah glared at the spot he last saw his father, then looked sideways.

Sylar went back in time several years to the date when the credit card was made. He shape-shifted to look like Claire. It took him a while to get ID for a Claire Gray but once he got that fake identity set up, he went to the bank & founded an account that Noah Bennet would never know about when the time came, using money he himself created with Bob Bishop's ability. Next, he moved forward a couple of years & used the interest that built up to not only get the property but also have it ready. The next thing to do was more tricky, getting the documents for someone about to become the world's worst serial killer & a baby who won't be born for a few thousand years.

For himself, he decided to go back several years before that eclipse screwed up his life, before anyone, including himself, knew of Sylar. He had a fleeting thought of warning his young self but Noah was all he cared about now. It wasn't worth trying to save everyone else's lives he had taken if it meant messing the timeline too much & losing Noah. He took the new documents with him when he moved forward in time once more which caused the papers to disappear from the records long enough so that Noah Bennet wouldn't come across them when the time came.

Lastly, he had to come up with some way of explaining his son's birth not happening for a long time. He thought this would be the hardest task of all but he met an older man who only asked one question.

"What month & day was the child born?"

Sylar thought back to the date he had seen on the newspaper he had checked when he first returned to his time, then calculated about three months backwards from that. "May ninteenth."

"Very well," the man wrote it down then got up & went into the office across the hall. Fifteen minutes later he returned & handed over the finished documents. "We will meet again someday."

"We will?" Sylar was instantly suspicious.

"You should return to your son."

Sylar raised a hand to try grabbing the man but was somehow blocked. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry," the man said. "I will be there to help you someday. Just go. You have no power over me. Not yet." He put his hand on Sylar's shoulder.

Sylar looked around but found himself on the shore the night he & his son first teleported to Israel. He found his other self still dozing near where Noah was partially hidden in the ground. Sylar stopped time & quickly set his own wallet the way it was that morning, then went into the house to write up the note. Finally, he returned to three seconds beyond the time he had started teleporting about.

Noah glared at the spot he last saw his father, then looked sideways. "Hey, there you are little one." Sylar picked Noah up. "I think we're mostly safe now. Except this one man I need to watch out for. But don't you worry," he held the baby close. "I can handle it just fine." He checked Noah over even though he knew the baby hadn't been left alone for more than a moment or two. "You know it's been almost seven months since I last saw you? I couldn't risk getting caught by coming for a visit. Oh well. That's over with now." He carried Noah to the kitchen. "I guess it's time to try feeding you." He watched Noah try to grasp a blue block with the letter H on it. "You're not going to like this. It's been only a few hours from your point of view since we got separated from your mother & you slept through most of it. But it's time you know she can't be with us right now."

He set Noah on the floor & got the milk ready. Once it was warm, he knelt down beside Noah. "Alright, here goes nothing." He held the bottle out. Noah turned his head away & continued playing with the block. Sylar pulled the block away, causing Noah to almost start crying but was silenced with the bottle. His father had tricked him. He eventually managed to get away from it, not sucking from the bottle. Sylar tried again but Noah liked the bottle about as much as he liked the glasses. Sylar set the bottle aside. "We'll try later then, hmm?"

More than one 'later' came & went with no success. Sylar knew the baby needed to eat sooner or later but it seemed nothing short of a tube would work. Noah wanted his mother. Sylar had even tried to shift to the likeness of Claire & attempted to use her to offer the bottle but Noah wasn't fooled.

Still as Claire, Sylar put the bottle aside again. "Do you have any better ideas?" Noah put one hand out & began grasping around until suddenly, Sylar yelled in pain, shifted out of Claire's shape without even thinking & dropped Noah. Fortunately it was only a few inches since both were still on the floor. "NOAH!" Sylar was once more rubbing his chest. "Ugh! What is it with you grabbing that nipple all the time? Ow!" Noah had the nerve to laugh at him. The whole process had also caused the glasses to slip off which made Noah extra happy. Sylar shook his head. "But for all my powers, I'm defeated by a mere baby!" He pushed himself up onto his palms, feeling something wet. The bottle had broken as well. "Perfect!" Sylar grumbled. He held up his wet fingers, then looked at Noah. He held out his hand & touched the baby's lips. Noah instantly sucked. "Oh is that how you want it?" Sylar got up to get some fresh milk but put it in a bowl this time.

Noah was used to feeling flesh when having milk. His mother's breast or his father's fingers, it mattered not so long as it was not the foreign feeling of a bottle. Though it took a while, he did finish the entire bowl. Sylar pushed it all aside & lay down next to his son. "Alright. Let's break you out of that as soon as possible." He stretched like a cat & was instantly asleep.

When he woke up, it was dark once more & worse, Noah was gone! Sylar jumped to his feet & turned the kitchen light on. After a quick scan around the floor, he moved to the next room & the next, turning each light on & calling his son's name. He returned to the kitchen several minutes later. "Calm down," he told himself. "Just go back in time & see what happens." He looked once more at the spot where they had been sleeping together & saw his glasses still lying where they had fallen. He bent down to grab them & there was Noah under the table, passed out. Sylar dropped into a chair by the table & rubbed his nose with both hands. "Claire if I didn't have your power right now I'd have died of a heart attack."

He stared at the opposite wall. "What am I doing? I have no business with a baby. I take life, not raise it up." He leaned over to look under the table. Seeing Noah sleeping there, he knew there was no way he could give the child up. Noah was his to protect. He just had to be more careful, not just with his powers but also for keeping a better eye on Noah. Today the kid only managed to go a few feet yet caused sheer panic for his father. What about tomorrow? Or when Noah was growing up? Sylar pulled Noah out from under the table & put him in the playpen where he couldn't escape, then lay back on the sofa nearby.

It took almost two weeks before Noah eventually accepted the bottle. It was almost a full month of arguing before the baby finally gave up his fight against the glasses. By now, he was capable of making several noises & was often babbling to himself. He was crawling around easily as well & more than once, Sylar used his force power out of sheer instinct to snatch the baby back from going too far. Noah was quickly disciplined by being put into the playpen while Sylar silently berated himself for using an ability around, not to mention on, the child.

One day the playpen stopped acting as a holding cell. Sylar walked into the living room to find Noah hanging inside by his hands from the edge of the pen. He had somehow managed to crawl up on a large square cushion to grab hold of the edge but then the cushion had fallen over & he couldn't figure out how to get down. "NOAH!" Sylar ran at the baby & snatched him up, partly by force & partly by physically putting both hands on his son. "What the hell are you doing? If I didn't have your mother's power, I'd have gray hair by now!"

Noah looked at him & said, "Adda."

"What?" Sylar half-smiled for a moment. He sat down on the couch with Noah still in his arms. It sounded like Noah was close to saying Daddy so Sylar slowly sounded out the word for him.

Noah managed to say "Adda," again, looking at his father with an almost hurt expression, before rubbing one side of his face with a hand.

Without thinking, Sylar let slip his first ability once more, taking a short look through Noah before reigning the monstrosity back. "Oh. They're starting to come out, aren't they? Well Daddy has a little present for you, buddy." Sylar put Noah back in the pen & left for a moment. He returned with a cooling teething ring & all but filled Noah's mouth with the oragel.

Sylar now had to make extra sure all objects not suitable for babies were placed well away from Noah on top of trying to keep track of his son's movements. Noah cut the first tooth within a week & then they had a break before the next one started.

Noah was soon following his father everywhere throughout the house. Once he could crawl, he moved fast. Sylar only let him on his own on the bottom floor but still carried him around if they were upstairs so Noah wouldn't charge down the flight of steps even though there was a perfectly secure baby-gate blocking the way. Noah also started reaching out to touch anything Sylar had touched. He had even dashed forward to grab a razor-blade Sylar had dropped once & nearly succeeded but he was caught just in time by the force power.

"Noah no!" Sylar glared at him. Noah sat back against the wall as Sylar picked up the blade. "Don't touch." He put the blade away then put on the glasses. Noah quickly moved forward again. Sylar crouched down & pulled off the glasses. "No." Noah stopped moving for a moment, then backed up. Sylar put the glasses back on & Noah headed straight for him. He picked the child up. "Good. You're learning. No glasses means trouble."

From then on, Sylar always removed the glasses when scolding Noah. It didn't happen often but he trained Noah to associate no glasses with being in trouble. "Finally," Sylar laughed softly to himself. "I remember some very different arguments when you first saw the glasses. Told you that you would learn."

Noah's response was taking his first step. Literally. He had been sitting at the bottom of the stairs & then somehow pulled himself up by using the bottom one for support. A moment later he plopped back down on the floor.

"When we say taking your first step," Sylar leaned down to grab Noah's hands. "That's not quite what we mean. Let's try this." He helped Noah up & they moved about a step & a half before Sylar picked Noah up & stood straight. "No wonder most parents get bad backs. Fortunately it only lasts a moment for me."

That first step opened up a whole new set of worries for Sylar. Soon, Noah was tottering around & more than once, Sylar had to pull him back by force. Sometimes, he just hung on by his power alone with Noah halfway across the yard on his way to the street but could go no further with this strange invisible leash on him. Sylar was now using his force on his son much the same he had used on Claire a few years ago to make her go where he wanted. The only difference was, his son didn't know any better. Sylar silently laughed at the irony of it all. He let Noah go only so far before pulling him back so Noah started testing him & it soon became a battle of limits.

"Noah don't you dare take another step towards that road. ... Go ahead & touch that cactus. Go on! ... And just where do you think YOU are going? ...Get off that beach! The tide is coming in! …Don't make me take the glasses o—oh my God! I'm taking them off NOW!" Noah was sharply yanked back to his father's arms. Glasses dangling in his free hand, Sylar glared at Noah. "You're about as much trouble as your mother!" He hustled the boy inside, then put the glasses back on.

While he went to pour some milk, Noah began running back & forth in the hallway until he smacked right into the wall. Sylar paused to send him that condescending all-knowing smile all parents eventually do at him. "That'll learn ya." Noah sat there & started crying. Sylar casually poured himself some coffee. "Oh you're not hurt. Daddy knows a thing or two about pain, believe me. You just want to be coddled." He leaned back against the counter, still smiling. "Someone should call the wah-mbulance. Let's try that now." He pretended to hold a phone with one hand to his ear. "Hi Peter. Your great-nephew just ran into a wall. What should I do? Oh just leave him there? Exactly as I thought." Realizing his father wasn't falling for it, Noah slowly got up & went into the living room where he started running around again. "I knew you were fine," Sylar teased as entered a moment later & handed the child his drinking cup filled with milk. Noah drank it all, gave the cup back & ran around the room four more times before promptly falling to the floor, fast asleep. Sylar dropped onto the couch, heaving a sigh of relief. "I love Benadryl." Yes he totally just drugged the hell out of his kid & wasn't even ashamed. He needed a break!

As he got older, Noah started 'talking' more, making various sounds. He tried copying his father as much as possible but couldn't quite get the words. Then one day he said his first two words & first phrase all at once without realizing it & left Sylar in tears from laughing. Sylar had taken Noah to the beach to get used to the water. He pointed out over the water & said, "Look Noah. There's the ocean."

"Oshit."

Sylar stared at him. "WHERE did you learn that word? I certainly didn't swear around you. Did I?" He thought hard trying to remember. "Never mind. Come," he picked Noah up. "Let's see the ocean."

"Oshit."

"Noah!"

Noah put his hand out towards the water as if pointing like his father just did. "Oshit."

Sylar suddenly clued in. The poor boy was trying to say ocean but couldn't put it together just yet. He put the boy down, trying not to laugh. "Ocean. NNNN." Noah tried again but just couldn't do the N sound. After a few moments, both were crying, Sylar from being in stitches from laughing too much & Noah from being laughed at & not understanding what was going on. When both had finally calmed down, Sylar lifted Noah up & held him close. "Ok we'll work on that one later then?"

Noah's first birthday was soon just around the corner & Sylar was now faced with a problem more personal to him than to his son. He had sheltered the boy for the first year of his life. It had only been the two of them most of the time. They lived away from the great city, Haifa, about two hours by driving & had only ever entered it if either of them had needed something. But Noah needed to start learning social skills if he was ever to function properly in a school which meant that Sylar had to return to society himself. He wondered if he had been rehabilitated enough to do it. Would he slip up at the first sighting of someone with an ability? If he did it would be all over. Unwanted 'company' would learn he was back in the proper time & where he was & he would lose Noah. On top of it all, Sylar was also slightly feral now, being used to first having an entire planet for himself, Claire & Noah & now living in a grand beach house with Noah, but no one else.

They both needed to learn how to live among people.

He planned to start properly integrating Noah into society on his birthday, but that day came & went. Sylar didn't want to return. They stayed home by themselves, spending most of the birthday by the water. Sylar gave Noah a small bear, his first plush toy & something similar to what Claire had collected in this time, which Noah immediately took to, hanging onto it for dear life. Sylar liked having Noah all to himself but what he liked & what Noah needed were two different things. Still, it took Sylar an extra month to get over himself.

What finally motivated Sylar to start being more sociable with Noah was the Israeli school system he eventually looked up on his phone. School was mandatory from age six to eighteen while preschools & nurseries started as early as aged two or some aged three. Out of the grade schools, there were four types: state secular, state religious, arab & private.

"Well, we don't want private," Sylar began. "I need you close to keep an eye on you. There are things out there most people don't know about. I'm one of them. I haven't just been to the other side, I AM the other side. We don't want anything religious either. No, uh, yeshiva schools. Hey my first Hebrew word! Absolutely no idea what it means." He leaned across the table towards Noah who was eating oatmeal in his high chair. "Let's get one thing straight, we are not religious. No God would have allowed me to exist & if there was a God, then it sure hates me. Anyway, technically us Gray folks would be Catholic. They have Jesus. Jews don't. So let's just not get into any of that! Alright?" Noah responded by holding up some oatmeal as an offering. "No no, you can eat that mushy thing. I have all my teeth."

Sylar sat back in his seat. "There is one thing you do need to know about. Sabbath. Saturday is sacred in this country & you will be making Jewish friends. So you'll learn how to behave for Sabbath & not ask your friends to do something on that day that they normally wouldn't do. You don't want to end up a social pariah like me." He paused a moment before adding, "Although it's for different reasons for me." He pulled out his phone & began looking something up. "We'll get you into a routine for it. I know it involves candles. Nothing wrong with candles. Hmm," Sylar read through his search. "Would you look at that? Some Protestants still prefer Sabbath to the so-called Lord's day. Seventh Day Adventists. Never heard of them. They even say Sunday is the mark of the beast instead of the microchip & here I was told we all keep Sunday holy for Jesus." He looked at Noah. "That's another reason we aren't religious. None of them seem to agree on anything. We won't get involved with that." He continued searching. "Finally found the candles. So that's what a menorah is. We'll get one as well as some Shabbat candles & when you're old enough you can light them at the right times. That'll help teach you to be careful around fire as well."

"Yah-yah."

"Good, I'm glad you agree," Sylar said before going on. "Apart from that though, we won't be bothering with anything religious. Looks like state secular for you. All teach Hebrew & by age ten you will have to pick up English or French. You're getting English from me so you will take the French." Sylar was silent for a moment. "Although the Petrelli side of our family is Catholic. Gives me a whole new reason to go Protestant," he scoffed. "We hate Petrelli blood too, by the way. I already killed one of them but I gutted the wrong brother. Should have been Peter I put down. Oh well. Ah never mind. I need to stop talking about them since you're growing up. You're too young now but soon enough you'll start remembering stuff I tell you. I can't use you as a personal therapist for such topics any more. It's time to lock away all these secrets."

He put the phone on the table & leaned back in his chair. He noticed a small carton of chocolate milk on the counter & summoned it over. Halfway through opening it, he suddenly glanced at Noah who had been watching him intently. "I better stop using my powers around you as well. I can't have you accidently exposing us when you really start talking & are at school." Sylar drank a bit of the milk before pouring a little into Noah's oatmeal. "You want to try some?" Noah looked at the darkening color but allowed his father to help him eat some. His face suddenly had a look of amazement at the new flavor. "Looks like you like it. Who doesn't like chocolate?" Sylar went on with a laugh. "So far you seem to eat any flavor I give you. You take after me it seems, which I'm not sure is a good thing or a bad thing right now. But I'll eat anything." After a short pause, he added, "Except brains. You know your mom asked me that one day? Most disgusting thing I ever heard!" Noah responded with a laugh, earning a glare. "Thank you. Thank you very much!"

Sylar sighed before going on. "Well if I'm not going to use powers around you anymore, that means I need to get a car again. I can't just be teleporting us everywhere any more." He got up to get his wallet still in the coat pocket. After rifling through the cards, Sylar held up one. "Great. My American driver's license expires in four months. After that it's highly unlikely I will be able to get a new one." He caught Noah's eye. "Daddy's been a very bad boy. I messed up big time."

"Yah."

"You weren't supposed to agree!" Sylar glared indignantly. "Don't worry, I'll figure it out. That's what my first power is for." He looked at the bank card for Claire Gray. "Never mind. I just got it."

"Daddy."

Sylar dropped the wallet, its contents spilling out onto the floor. "You said it! Finally." He moved around the table to Noah's side. "Can you say that again? Hey. Look at me. Say Daddy again." Noah did look at him, but attempted to shove some more cereal in his mouth instead. Sylar kneeled in front of the high-chair & tried coaxing him to speak for several minutes but Noah paid him no mind. "Alright," Sylar sighed, giving up. "We'll try again later."

"Oshit."

Sylar rolled his eyes. "That is another thing we need to stop doing. No more swearing. No more using powers in front of you & no more talking about our dysfunctional family either."

After a moment, he stood up & gave Noah a pat on the head. "That includes your mom. Right now, she hates me & it's ok. She has a good reason. I didn't treat her well at all in this timeline. But finding out about you would only confuse her, probably make her hate me more. I can't have you go looking for her so...yeah." His voice fell to a whisper. "This is the last conversation we have about her ok?" He leaned against the bar counter & watched Noah from afar. "You really do look a lot like her & you're just as much trouble as she is. But I can't have you knowing even that." He turned away & felt something wet on one side of his face. He wiped away a tear so rare, it was almost magic to see one from him. Fact was, he loved Claire deeply & properly now, no longer as her creepy stalker, but she would never accept that for five thousand years. It would be a long wait. "I won't let you die Claire."


	7. Chapter 7

**(7) A Marked Globe**

It was another week before Sylar eventually managed to take Noah out for no other reason than to be among people. He still had to use teleportation to get to & from Haifa but planned to stop using that one once he could drive again. For now, he brought Noah to a playground. They had their own personal swing & slide set in the back yard but here were other children for Noah to start getting used to.

Unlike the other parents who stood off to the side chatting in various clique groups, Sylar went into the playground to be with Noah like he would do at home. It sort of defeated the purpose of introducing Noah to others as the older children had gone off by themselves while the younger ones stayed close to their mothers (a fact that would come back to bite Sylar later on). Sylar kept his eyes averted from the adults. He didn't want to know if any had an ability & risk losing it which worked for a while but he was soon approached by a young woman.

"You interact with him very well," she began.

Sylar looked straight at her. "It's just him & I." He quickly put his eyes back on his son. So far, so good.

"You're a single dad?" the woman asked in surprise.

Sylar looked at her again while he spoke to her. "A widower, in fact." It felt so weird saying that but for Noah's sake it was better this way.

"Ohh, sorry to hear that," She replied in almost a whisper.

Sylar flicked his eyes back to her. "You speak English rather well."

"I'm from Canada," She began. Sylar was instantly nervous. Would his killer name be known in that country as well? He kept one hand over his watch on his wrist. Sylar was written there, ready to betray him. "But I married a Rabbi & we eventually ended up here with our own son. He's a year & a half."

"Noah just had his first birthday a couple months ago," Sylar picked Noah up, keeping his watch hand under the child's jacket out of sight.

"Noah? That is a great name," she said before turning to answer someone calling to her in Hebrew. She spoke back in the same language. "Well, we gotta go. Bye."

Sylar was in the process of waving to her, wondered what the hell he was doing, but then noticed Noah had copied him. "Yes, that's what you do. Wave people off." He brought Noah to the edge of the playground & put him down again. "Well that went better for me than I thought it would. We don't want me to mess up again, right? You'd be taken away from me."

That first encounter was short but enough for Sylar. He brought Noah home & it was several days before he felt safe enough to try again. Eventually, he was able to bring Noah out three to four times a week, never on a Friday or Saturday though, as both days were more important in Israel as day of preparation & then the day of the Sabbath.

Sylar also got a car before his American license, which Israel would accept for a short time, ran out. It was a sleek black Audi, with state of the art GPS, reclining seats & power windows. His first attempt driving it however, nearly exposed him. He had put Noah in the back & then got in like a normal American & reached for the steering wheel, only to grasp on air. He looked sideways. "...rrrright..." Sylar looked at the mirror to see Noah watching him. "Yeah. Total American. Right here." He opened the door to get out. "UNF!" Sylar was held fast in his seat by the belt. Noah laughed at him. "Oh yeah real funny!" He unstrapped himself & managed to get out without further embarrassment. "Freaking idiot," Sylar grumbled to himself, fixing the collar of his checkered shirt as he went around to the other side & tried all that again. He slowly moved towards the main road. "Really doesn't seem that much different. No matter what, the driver's side is towards the middle of the road. Ok. I can do this." *****

It took some getting used to, but with the power he was born with, it was easier to figure out how to drive like this. At the same time, he started showing up as Claire using Gray instead of Bennet & went for the full Israeli license. When he got 'hers', he used the imprinting to swap the name & the picture around so that his new license was for Gabriel Gray, complete with his original picture from the first one. That way, he didn't have to risk shape-shifting in front of Noah as the boy got older. (Furthermore, though he didn't know it at the time for he had banned anything American from the house & there was as yet no TV, Claire's image had become rather popular now for she had deliberately exposed her power to the world on camera so having her face here would arouse suspicion.)

Noah was almost two years old by now. His first official word, besides Daddy, was the proper way of saying ocean, which was a bittersweet moment for Sylar. Noah probably wouldn't even remember how he had started trying to say the word & Sylar would most likely never hear him try like that again. The next time would be for real but hopefully not for like, a hundred years, or something to that effect.

"Yes ocean," Sylar held Noah close. "Now you can work on saying Mediterranean which is this ocean's name." Noah just stared at him in a get-out-of-my-life kind of way, earning a laugh.

As September came close, Sylar debated with himself as to whether or not to start Noah in preschool now or wait one more year. He realized that he would keep Noah for one last year when October suddenly showed up instead & in a rather hilarious way. Sylar had taken Noah for a drive into Haifa, only to come to a literal screeching halt before even entering the city. The streets were eerily empty & most places were closed. It wasn't the Sabbath & there were no reports of any terrorism so it was rather peculiar to not find anyone. Sylar immediately asked the Audi to figure out what was going on.

"Yom...Kippur?" He continued listening to a playback of his search. "Ohh we really shouldn't be out right now. This one's right up there with their Sabbaths. This is bad. This is really bad." He slipped down in the seat a little, like a cowed dog with its tail between its legs, as he guiltily looked around before turning the car for home & off the streets before getting caught.

"Is Daddy bad man?"

"Yes Noah. Daddy is bad. Very bad man indeed!" Sylar quickly drove into the garage to hide & pressed the button to close the gate. "Ohh you have no idea," he muttered to himself under breath.

"Please restate your request," the Audi asked.

"Shut up," Sylar ordered. "Ok, we won't be doing that ever again. We need to look up these extra feasts they do & when the ffff…he...heck did October show up?" Sylar tried to tone down a swear word that desperately needed to be said.

Needless to say, they spent the day home, indoors, eating ice cream (not realizing it was supposed to be a day of fasting) while Sylar double-checked for any more Jewish holidays to avoid. One in particular, caught his attention: Hanukkah. It was a week long festival of lights that basically coincided with Christmas.

He looked at Noah. "Now there is one thing I will do with you that my parents rarely bothered to do with me & I've always felt I missed out. Christmas."

"What's that?"

"A very fun time with lots of colored lights & candy & flying reindeer."

"What's a reindeer?"

"You don't know what a reindeer is?" Sylar asked with a laugh. Noah shook his head. "They are magic creatures that can fly! They'll bring you presents."

"They bring presents?"

"That's right," Sylar replied. "This Hanukkah thing is just eight extra days of fun."

"What about Mr. Muggles?"

Sylar almost had a heart attack at the name before remembering it was the name he had started giving to Noah's first teddy bear for lack of something better which now Noah himself had unfortunately picked up. Sylar sent the boy a slightly nervous smile. "He will like it too, I'm sure."

Though it wasn't Noah's first Christmas, it would be the first time they did anything about it, complete with decorations & the tree. Noah received two presents, one was another plush teddy bear to be a friend for Mr. Muggles. This was to start teaching Noah about having friends. The other was an Ipad for starting projects similar to school. Sylar had blocked ninety percent of everything on it & made sure only the educational programs got through. He never left Noah alone with it & they used it together for only about an hour at a time almost every day. As Noah's third birthday was just around the corner, Sylar would add on new apps for Noah to learn anything from different animals to simple numbers for starting to count. He also previewed any app to make sure nothing American was mentioned before using it as a learning tool for Noah.

Besides such apps for beginners reading & shapes, there were also coloring apps for Noah to start on & he took to them instantly. The Ipad ended up teaching Noah one of the most basic facts in life one day when Noah had found a picture of a pair together in the sunset.

"What they doing?"

"Oh they're just kissing."

"Kissing?"

"Adults do that sometimes," Sylar shrugged. "When a guy & a girl like each other, they tend to do that." He unfortunately started to drink some of his coffee.

"What's a girl?"

Sylar choked back on the hot liquid. "Noah." Hack. "Hang on." Cough. "A girl. GIRL! Right. Just a minute." He took the glasses off to rub his eyes, then put them back on. Surely he wasn't going to have 'the talk' now, was he? "Ok, girls are just like us, only they aren't."

"They not us?"

"We're guys & girls are, uh well, girls," Sylar stammered, totally unprepared. "They're shaped differently from us. They're just prettier is all. Noah, you've seen plenty when we go to Haifa."

Noah shook his head. "I don't know."

"Alright, I will point one out to you next time," Sylar gave up.

Noah pointed up at Sylar. "You kissing girls?"

"Noah," Sylar groaned, face bright red. "Ok yes. Plenty of times. But I'm a grown up. You are way too young right now. No girl kissing for you for about a hundred years ok?"

"Ok," Noah muttered, disappointed.

Sylar took the Ipad & put away. That was enough computer time for one day! He watched Noah playing with his two teddy bears for a moment. "Noah?" Sylar dropped down onto the floor beside him. "It doesn't always have to be a boy & girl. Could be two boys or two girls. If you prefer boys when you grow up, that's alright too, ok?" Noah silently nodded. Sylar leaned in closer. "But not for a very long time."

Sylar thought the matter was over with but a few weeks later, knowing about girls opened the way for Noah to learn about other sorts of people. He had brought Noah to one of the biggest playgrounds again & hung back while Noah interacted with three of the younger children there, one of which was a girl. Sylar had been forcing himself to stay farther away from Noah when they were out to get used to Noah going to school for this year was certainly the year he would start preschool. He had pointed out a few girls of different ages for Noah to remember what a girl was, then left Noah alone with his temporary friends in the sandbox for a few minutes. He sat down on one of the smaller tires that were stuck in sand around the park & kept Noah in sight at all times. Within just a few minutes, Noah joined him, looking somewhat confused & sad at the same time.

"Finished already? We just got here."

"Tomer went home," Noah pointed in the direction of a group that were leaving.

"You want to go home now?"

"Tomer got in trouble," Noah said. "His mom said so."

"That's why they left," Sylar replied. "But you're not in any trouble. My glasses are on remember?"

Noah looked up at him. "What's a mom?"

Damn it! Sylar took a long time in answering. "Um, well, a mom is, I mean, well someone like me but a girl instead."

"Someone like you?"

"Well yes but like, a girl instead," Sylar tried again. "I'm your Daddy. If I had a girl in my life, she would have been your Mommy, but I don't. It's just us."

"Tomer said everyone has a mom," Noah went on. "Or we could not be here."

"Well a boy & girl have to be together to have a child."

"So where is my Mommy?"

Sylar looked Noah over. "Noah ... she died. A long time from now."

"What does that mean?"

"You remember that bird that flew into the window a couple months ago? What happened to it?"

"It didn't move," Noah said. "It was cold & hard."

"What did I do with it?"

Noah made a digging motion. "In a hole."

"Then what did you do the other day?" Sylar waited for a reply. "You dug it up, thinking it had gotten better but what did you find?"

"The ground ate it," Noah tried.

"Something like that," said Sylar. "That's death. It happens to almost everything eventually. Not for many years. Your mom is like that right now. That's why it's just you & me from now on."

"Do you know a lot about death?"

"Yeah," Sylar couldn't help but think of every murder he had ever done. "Yeah I know quite a bit about it. Most grown ups do. Don't worry about that right now. You have a long long time ahead of you."

"Ok," Noah sighed.

Sylar stood up & pulled Noah along with him. "What do you say we go get some ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Noah ran for the car.

Sylar sighed in relief, hoping a similar conversation wouldn't happen in a while. He knew it would come up again some day but he intended to be more prepared for it next time. For now, it was time to get used to being separated for when Noah would start preschool at the end of summer.

Using his new abilities no one knew about that he had picked up from the nightstalkers, Sylar was able to leave Noah 'unattended' while still watching over him. He was able to shape-shift to animals now & when Noah appeared to be by himself, a common Kestrel was close by in a tree, pretending to preen.

At first, Noah didn't take too kindly to this new set up & would go into a panic if he couldn't see or even hear his father. Sylar started by showing up immediately but gradually over time, he let Noah look around for a few moments first, then a few minutes. Eventually, Noah settled into being by himself in the back yard, or so he thought anyway.

When Noah knew they were together, all Sylar could talk to him about was school. He mentioned games & other children to play with & having picnics (which is how he described the lunch recesses) in an attempt to entice Noah to go when it was time. In the beginning, Noah was adamant about not going. He was used to being around his father all the time & no one else. But through use of the Kestrel, Noah slowly got over his separation anxiety. Sylar even dared to use it at the public playgrounds in the end but Noah didn't notice as there were others around him.

On the first day of school, Noah was unusually quiet & stayed behind Sylar, way behind, trudging into the building last. He was rather shy when the woman he was apparently going to stay with for a few hours came out to meet them. Noah didn't speak to her or even barely looked at her until another little boy had come out to see what was going on. Noah instantly went to him, recognizing the other boy from the playground.

"There we go," The woman got up from crouching to be at Noah's level. "I knew something would spark his interest. That's my son, Jason."

"We were never separated before," Sylar began. "I've been raising him myself since his mother died when he was three months old. We tend to stay in the country away from people."

The woman looked at him for a moment. "Oh I think I remember you. A couple years ago at the park. I'm from Canada. I'm Tirzah." She held out one hand.

Sylar took hold of it for a moment & said, "Gabriel." He hoped to avoid using Gray. He had no choice but to use Noah's full name when they first signed him up for school, but it was filed away without question, something Sylar found strange & hoped to find out or rather, hoped to find out without having to kill someone. He realized something in that moment. He had been using all his abilities since Noah was born, including the Aptitude, but without causing harm to anyone. He was using them on his own without training or help from others trying to make him a guinea pig for their amusements. Now without outside influence, his powers were developing properly & he was using them all they way they should have been used, even the rage for blood; though still there, was now reserved for defense instead of sport.

Tirzah said in slight awe. "That is a very good strong name from the Torah."

"I know it's for an angel in the Bible," Sylar said. "But we aren't religious."

"Really?" Tirzah asked in surprise. "Yet you & your son both have well-known names from the Torah."

Sylar shrugged it off. "His mother named him."

"I see," Tirzah sighed. "By the way, the owner of this place wants to meet you." She handed over a card. "His name is Shlomo Gordon. He is a Rabbi."

"Me? Why?" Sylar was instantly suspicious.

"No idea," Tirzah pointed to the stairs. "He is up in his office right now."

Sylar all but glared up the stairs for a moment. "Noah, Daddy is just going upstairs for a moment. You behave yourself."

"You come right back?"

"I'll just be a minute or two," Sylar started upstairs, half-expecting to kill someone again after such a long dry run. He pocketed the glasses on the way up. He silently entered the large office that took up the top of the building & slowly stalked forward. An old black man was standing in the window, watching Sylar advance. Sylar appraised him for a moment. "You're the one that helped me get Israeli citizenship several years ago."

"Yes," Shlomo said. "When you time-traveled back for it."

"Time-travel?" Sylar played dumb. "I don't know what you—"

"Hush Mr. Sylar," Shlomo raised a hand. "You know exactly what I am talking about."

At the mention of his killer name, Sylar attempted to throw his force power at the man but nothing happened. "What did you do to me?"

"You can't use your abilities around me right now," Shlomo said. "I can block powers, among other things. I'm a mimic like you & Peter Petrelli. Unlike either of you, mostly yourself, I have never killed for abilities."

Sylar glared at him. "I am not that monster any more. But I do have a son to protect now & if I have to kill to keep him safe, I will."

"You don't have to," Shlomo tried to assure him. "I told you back then I would help you later." A moment of silence passed. "Mr. Sylar? It's later now."

"Peter is no friend of mine," Sylar snarled low. "I DO intend to kill him regardless."

"You & Peter can deal with your own petty crap on your own time," Shlomo half-snapped. "I care not about such bickering. I am neither friend or foe of Peter. We do not know each other personally. I just know of him. Pity though that he stayed in America. He won't get the same help you can have."

"What help could you possibly offer?"

"Ever hear of the Kabbalah?"

"That's a Jewish religion," Sylar said. "Noah & I are atheists."

"It is not just a religion," Shlomo corrected. "To the outside world, we consider it part of our main faith & we can use both the Torah & the Talmud. But at its core, it is mysticism or what some people would call sorcery or magic. Or what we call," He paused & moved close to Sylar. "Super powers. Abilities."

Sylar took a moment to process that. "The Kabbalah is the Israeli version of the Company?"

"Don't use that word," Shlomo sharply ordered, making Sylar jump a little. "We are nothing like that American Company the Petrellis & Bennets tried to use. It was shameful & misused. It created Sylar. Had you been with us, you never would have found Sylar. But what is passed is past. We can only go forward now. I have what you claim is your power, but what we call Intuitive Aptitude has manifested several times over the eons. It is a particular power for mimics like us. It seems to be our first power. Some like me, have learned to use it properly while others like you, turned to blood."

"There have been other mimics in the past?"

"All abilities have shown up through the ages, from Vlad Dracu to the Romanovs & Rasputin. Even that radical Rabbi the Jewish nation had to contend with about two thousand years ago. Yeshua. You might know his name as Jesus."

"Jesus existed?" Sylar all but exclaimed.

"Of course he did," Shlomo replied. "Now whether he is the Messiah or son of God or whatever, that is all up for religious debate. For me personally as a Jew, I would say no he was not. Just a human with a lot of powers, mostly focused on healing in spite of everything. But we are not here for that." He picked a book up off his desk & handed it to Sylar. "That is a beginner's book for those seeking to join. It's in English for you but anything in this country is better in Hebrew. You join as you would a synagogue or church or temple, under the guise of religion. But inside, you can learn to use all your powers to the fullest potential, like a school. Gain more perhaps if you wish without killing anyone & without losing yourself. Did you not say that shape-shifting was very confusing for you? That is a dangerous power to take on without understanding it but you can learn about it in the Kabbalah."

"So what, you offering Hogwarts & calling me Harry Potter then?" Sylar slightly scoffed.

"Well, yes," Shlomo replied. "Where do you think Rowling got her ideas from? She is one of us, has a lot of healing powers that seems to work well on children."

"You trying to tell me Harry Potter is real?"

"Not the character," Shlomo shook his head. "The story she wrote is entirely fiction. But the ideology behind it is real. It's how we treat members of the inner circle in the Kabbalah for lack of a better description." Sylar stared in shocked silence as the rabbi finished. "It is essentially a school for people like us who have abilities."

"Do I have to convert to join?" Sylar finally asked.

"No," Shlomo answered. "That's just a ruse for outsiders. Now of course most of us are religious as well. I mean give me a break, we're Jews! We love our faith & we love arguing to death about it. Literally for some. But the main thing is the magic, if you will. Unlike the American Company, we don't hunt people down to study them for powers. We invite people in discreetly. Had you been here from the start, your first power would have blossomed naturally on its own into something wonderful. But you already seem to be on that path now."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you been using that Aptitude for simple things around your son? Such as driving a non-American car or figuring out how to renew your driver's license?" Sylar remained silent, so Shlomo continued. "In time you will be able to look at people with abilities & instantly know how it works without touching them. You won't even feel a blood rage any more." **

"All I have to do," Sylar held up the book. "Is start reading this?"

"Study is more like it," Shlomo pointed out. "I do own this school after all, as well as a university."

Sylar shook his head slightly, not really believing it. "I have one question."

"Asking is the beginning of knowledge."

"Is Noah safe here, with you around?"

Shlomo lifted his block. "You can detect lies now. Yes, Noah is just fine here. In fact, here is the only place he is safe outside of your home. Can you imagine what America would do if they got their hands on the son of the great Sylar? No, no! We can't have that now can we?"

"It is the last thing I want," Sylar admitted. "So you want to invite him into the Kabbalah?"

"No," Shlomo replied, surprising Sylar. "He can grow up in my schools where we can protect him from Companies like in America. But you have to be twenty or older to join the Kabbalah if you are going for the mystics of it. Right now, Noah doesn't even have any discernable powers. He can join the outer circle for the religious aspect of it whenever he wants but no further until he has come of age & only if he manifests any abilities. If he does, YOU can invite him."

"If he does but I don't, what would you do to him?"

"Nothing," Shlomo said. "It is not our way. Your mind is clouded by the mistreatment you received in America & yes it was mistreatment. Feeding you abilities. Keeping everyone locked up. Erasing memories. One of us one of them. No. It doesn't work. The American Company is barely a few years old. Us? We've been doing this for thousands of years. That's why we prefer a synagogue setting. A temple family if you will." They stared at each other. Sylar didn't feel any lies but he was still unsure. Anything remotely involving his son put him on edge. He also realized he had his powers back but had no inclination to use them just yet. "Go read the book, Gabriel," Shlomo finally used his real name. "Give it a chance. You don't have to join if you don't want to. We will never meet again if you refuse. It's a one-time offer. But don't be so quick to judge & condemn something based on past experiences that have nothing to do with the Kabbalah. It will be very different this time, let me assure you, if you decide to accept."

Sylar slowly stepped backwards to the door. "I will think about it."

"That's all I ask," Shlomo sat in his chair. "Now go be that Kestrel you do to watch over your son." Sylar just stared at him. "The Aptitude of mine told me all that just by looking at you. It can be that strong for you as well if you choose to walk this path."

Sylar slowed to a stop as he descended down the stairs. He hadn't felt any deceptions, but he had Noah to worry about now & didn't trust him with any one. It was hard trying to get Noah into school. The use of the Kestral helped keep them together even if Noah didn't know. Not yet anyway. But Sylar himself wouldn't stray out of hearing distance from his son. He knew what was out there. What to look out for to protect Noah. He looked at the small book in his hands. One thing Noah needed protection from was himself. Sylar thought back to the last time he encountered his own father, dying from some cancer or other. Samson Gray had turned on his own son to try gaining another ability. Hilarious since the regen accelerated cancer, not cured it, the one disease the regen could not cure. Prevent yes, but not cure. Samson had told Sylar then that the need to kill comes & goes. What if Sylar did that with his own son who as of yet did not have an ability & was mortal? Claire had told him all her children were mortals. Even if Noah did develop an ability, it was unlikely to be regen.

Coming off the final stair, Sylar could see into the main playroom. Noah was still close to Jason & both were coloring. Just thinking about turning on his son caused him to panic. "I can not let that happen. I will NOT become like my own father." He went outside, put the book in the car still parked nearby, then as the Kestrel, he perched on a bar in the outside playground to keep Noah in sight at all times, even through the window when he was inside. He had to fly up to a tree when the children eventually came outside & the older ones liked nothing more than to amuse themselves by trying to catch him, which was a slight indignation for Sylar trying to watch over Noah at the same time as trying to save his pinion feathers. Some of the children eventually resorted to throwing rocks at him to make him move, laughing when he screeched at them, wildly flapping his wings, until Tirzah caught them & began shouting in Hebrew to subdue them. Sylar decided that Tirzah was very scary when she was mad & yelling & thought it best to not get on her bad side!

Apart from dodging his tormentors, things seemed to go rather well for a while but when the children were called inside after about half an hour in the playground, Noah instead tried to go out the gate leading into the parking lot. Tirzah caught him but Noah resisted.

"Daddy's car," Noah pointed.

"Your Dad will pick you up soon," Tirzah replied, petting Noah's head. "I wonder why his car is still here though?"

"Daddy's here."

"I doubt it," Tirzah shrugged.

Noah pulled away from here & pointed again. "Oddy!" Noah tried saying Audi which was the type of their car. Sylar mentally kicked himself. Why didn't he move the car? It was only confusing Noah who was supposed to be getting used to being away from him now.

Tirzah picked Noah up. "You will see him soon. I promise." She carried him inside.

Sylar flew to a different tree so he could see through the window. Noah would keep going for the door, looking for him & it was all Tirzah could do to keep the boy inside. Miraculously, she seemed to have a calming effect on him & avoided a tantrum. Perhaps it was due to practice with her own son, but Noah's attention was ever on the door, waiting for his father to come back in.

After another half hour of watching Noah's antics, Sylar finally fluttered to the ground in a concealed area & reappeared as himself. He entered the school & Noah instantly ran to him. Sylar got down to his level. "So did you have fun?" Noah shook his head. "What do you mean no?" Noah just shook his head again. "Come on. You started playing with Jason the moment we got here."

"You left."

"I said I'd be back."

"We go home now." Noah wasn't asking but stating his wishes.

"That's up to Tirzah," Sylar stood up. "You should have another hour here."

"First day is usually a bit of a strain," Tirzah replied with a laugh. "You can take him now." She looked down at Noah. "See you next week."

"No."

"Noah," Sylar rolled his eyes. "Be nice." Noah stood behind Sylar, hiding, while hanging onto his hand.

"He's very attached to you," Tirzah remarked.

"I have to do everything since we don't have his mom," Sylar replied. "He is used to having me around at all times."

"You mind if I ask what happened to her?"

"Explosion," Sylar said. "That's how she died. Noah should be dead too but luckily I was near the beach holding him at the moment instead of with her. It's the only reason he is still alive."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that!" Tirzah gasped. "How awful! I'm glad you have Noah though. He's been great here. Just misses you a lot."

"I'll work on that," Sylar smiled sheepishly for a moment before attempting to take Noah outside. He looked to his right to see Noah there before going for the door & opening it. Halfway out he heard two thuds & then Noah started crying. Looking back he found Noah flat on his back on the ground & more to the left than the right. He stared at the child for a moment, then looked up at Tirzah who was giggling as she bent down to help Noah up. "What just happened?" Sylar finally asked.

"He tried going to your other side & ended up running into the door," Tirzah patted Noah down. He seemed to be fine but he shot a dark glare at his father.

"Noah," Sylar whipped off the glasses. "Pick a side & stick with it please!" He picked the boy up & brought him to the car. After securing Noah in the back, Sylar leaned against the side of the car for a moment. "I'll end up killing this kid by sheer dumb accident if I'm not careful." He put the glasses on, then almost got in on the wrong side again but caught himself just in time. He went around to the other side & proceeded to smack his head against the door frame as he sat down. Sylar leaned forward over the steering wheel for a moment, groaning while rubbing the side of his head.

When they finally got home, Noah seemed to behave normally enough but the next day, which was a Friday, Sylar had planned to go out with Noah but the boy wouldn't go near the car. He seemed to think Sylar would bring him back to the school & leave him again. But Israel didn't have school on Friday. It was Sunday to Thursday here. Sylar gave up & brought Noah inside where they did a few of the educational games on the Ipad instead.

Saturday was the same as before. Noah didn't want to go near the car so he wouldn't end up in school away from his father. Sylar tried to coax the boy into the car but Noah wouldn't cooperate at all. Sylar closed the door.

"Alright, I guess we are having another stay-in today," Sylar followed Noah inside. "Come on buddy. It's their Sabbath right now. There's no school. Even in America, schools are closed on this day."

Noah settled down with his crayons & a coloring book he had received from the school. With a long-suffering sigh, Sylar flopped down onto the couch, watching Noah color in some of the pictures. It took him a moment to realize what Noah was coloring. The book was a series of maps for different countries in the world, complete with labels, names of major cities, Canada's provinces & America's states.

America. Sylar's biggest secret he had to keep from Noah was there in that country. But of course it was silly to think that he could keep Noah from at least learning the names of various countries around the world. Just...no more than that. He let it go for now.

It took a lot more fighting come Sunday to get Noah to school. In the end & against his better judgment, Sylar had no choice but to forgo the car & just teleport them close by.

Noah glanced around. "Why we move so fast?"

"Something Daddy can do," Sylar felt a little pleased with himself in spite of everything. "Now, why don't we go find Jason?" At the mention of the name, Noah temporarily forgot his separation anxieties & eventually settled down with his new friend for a while.

It took longer than Sylar expected to get Noah used to school routine. It wasn't until the Hanukkah season that Noah finally started to like school but by that time, Sylar was the one inwardly fuming about it. Hanukkah was a religious thing & unlike Sylar & Noah, Tirzah & her family kept it. This got Noah interested in such things more so than Sylar would have liked. He kept the season as secular as possible in their own home, hoping to silently discourage Noah from anything religious.

On top of it all, Sylar found out too late that he had royally screwed Noah up in one way. Though Noah didn't understand the how if it, he now knew that his father could move 'really fast' which was how he viewed teleporting through space & time. Noah cleverly tricked his father into a promise when he opened his world map coloring book, pointed at a rather colorful depiction of the Eiffel Tower & asked if they could go there.

"That's in Paris, all the way down in France," Sylar stated absent-mindedly, reading the Kabbalist book he had gotten at the beginning of the school year. "We can go soon."

Noah clamored into Sylar's lap. "You move really fast."

"I can."

"So hurry up," Noah pushed his coloring book into Sylar's face. "Let's go."

"Not now Noah," Sylar held the coloring book away. "I didn't mean today! I will take you there someday. Later."

"Please Daddy! Now?"

"Soon," Sylar sighed, laying his own book aside.

"For Han'Kah?" Noah still had trouble with big words.

Sylar looked at the boy. "You mean Christmas? We don't do Hanukkah like Jason does. We're not religious."

"As soon as we wake up, we go," Noah said.

"Ok fine," Sylar gave up. Better to get the boy away from the religion anyway, was how he reasoned with himself.

"Ok," Noah got off & went to the shelf where he had his crayons. He grabbed a fistful of something & came back. "These are for you. I find lots."

"Um, thanks Noah," Sylar gingerly accepted the gift of feathers. "A bouquet of feathers." Noah smiled & ran off to the kitchen. "MY…feathers." Sylar smacked himself in the forehead with his free hand, trying not to laugh. "That's just...perfect." He ended up laughing anyway as Noah came back with a juicebox from the fridge & started coloring again while Sylar opened it for him.

Though Sylar hoped Noah would forget by then, on Christmas day, the first thing Noah asked for was France again. Sylar beamed them over to the Eiffel Tower. They ended up spending the day there before Sylar could find a quiet place to disappear from & get back home. He gave Noah a rather large box wrapped in green Christmas paper. Noah pulled out a large sparkling deep blue & gold (real gold at that by a touch of Sylar's fingers) globe.

"This is what Earth looks like," Sylar pulled out a dark green marker. "See this place by the Mediterranean Sea? That's Israel, where we are." He highlighted three areas in Israel, using the dark green pen. "That's the Golan Heights, Jerusalem & the Gaza Strip. We must never ever go to those areas."

"Why?"

"You'll hear about it in school soon enough, but a lot of holy wars goes on there."

"What's a holy war?"

"It's when two or more religions hate each other so much, they try to wipe the other out," Sylar explained. "A lot of bad people hate Jews for no other reason than being born. So we stay away from those sort." He then got a black felt pen. "As for the rest of it beyond Israel, eventually, we can go anywhere except the places in black ok?" He blotted out the entirety of America (except for Alaska) & all of Mexico. "We must never go to the black places either."

"Why?"

"Because well," Sylar cast about for words. What was left of the Bennet-Petrelli-Gray clan was back there, waiting to take him down. He had killed people in both countries & he had one more kill planned for a certain medic in New York City. Some day. "Well we just can't alright? Just forget about it. But everywhere else is fine."

It took a while, but Noah soon learned to use the globe to pick a place instead of his coloring book that had several states of America to fill in which Sylar would call black. Noah could find land shapes from the globe that matched some of his pictures & if it wasn't black on the globe, it was good to go.

Sylar knew it would get harder as Noah got older to conceal his darkest secret but he would try to shelter the boy for as long as possible & for now, a marked globe seemed to be a big help.

* * *

*** **_Leonard Nimoy vs. Zach Quinto — the Challenge; an Audi commercial. Go to youtube & watch it!_

**** **_Based on a scene from "I Am Become Death" when Sylar simply looked at Knox & instantly understood his power._


	8. Chapter 8

**(8) In An Instant**

"Again."

"No."

"You were so close that time."

"I almost killed her."

"Gabriel, you can't kill anyone with me here," Shlomo replied, pulling down Sylar's raised hand. He had almost grabbed an unsuspecting woman who had an ability he didn't have yet. He had almost slammed her against the wall as in days of old. But he never accessed his force power & she passed by without so much as a glance.

Sylar looked back over his shoulder at the old rabbi standing behind him. "You are not blocking my powers."

"In part I am," Shlomo replied. "I can quell the blood lust. It in itself is a type of ability. Soon enough you can do this on your own."

Sylar turned completely to face him. "I could kill you. No healing power & you can't take it from me since you have cancer. You have a few abilities I don't have."

"Yes you could kill me for them," Shlomo nonchalantly replied. "But you won't. You've left your Sylar persona far behind. More so than you realize."

"Have I?" Sylar scoffed. "I wanted to kill that woman for a moment."

"Perhaps but a moment," Shlomo said. "But I barely had to hold you back. You did most of it on your own. Your self-training has helped you a lot. Now it's merely a question of finessing it. Soon enough, you will be able to simply look at someone, understand their ability immediately & download it for yourself."

"Then explain why I'm so on edge right now," Sylar snapped. "I usually calm my temper by either killing someone, or having sex with them then kill them after & if none of that works, I go after Peter for lack of something better to do & anyway, I hate him."

Shlomo looked at Sylar & smiled. "Your son."

"What about him?"

"You are up here with me & some other Kabbalist members while Noah is in the playroom with his friends three floors down," Shlomo began. "You're not using your Kestrel to watch him today." They stared at each other for a moment before the rabbi finished, "Now you know where your son gets his separation anxiety from."

"I should go see him," Sylar started for the door to the stairs.

Shlomo pulled him back. "He's fine. You need to learn to not hover so much or you will really wreck him as he gets older."

"My job is to protect him from people like me."

"So are you going to stand in the room & watch when he grows up & starts having sex? From ex-murderer to pervert? Now that's quite a feat!" Shlomo laughed. Sylar couldn't answer that with any amount of logic so he remained silent. "I thought not," Shlomo turned the computer screen outward so Sylar could view it. The entire playroom showed up on two frames. Noah was coloring with Jason, perfectly fine. "You're an excellent father, Gabriel. One of the best I've seen. You've done well by him. The bond between you two is strong but if you don't stop smothering him, you will drive him away. Children need to be free to spread their own wings. Yes it's a cruel world but children need to be taught how to defend themselves from it, not have us constantly getting in the way."

Sylar turned away. "You don't understand what I've seen. What I've been through."

"The entire planet exploding, taking your wife down with it & you had to choose between her & your son."

Sylar gasped & stared at Shlomo. "...How...?"

"The Aptitude Gabriel," Shlomo answered. "It can tell me what is constantly on your mind & that event is always there. Also there's this. You've been with us for about a year now so it's more than time I show you something." He pulled Sylar behind the desk, turned the screen back to them & tapped a few keys. A picture of a painting came up of the world divided into three quarters. "Only five people on the planet know of this image right now. I'm showing you since you were there. We know. This image was painted over four thousand years ago & then painted again recently by someone in this day & age. They are practically identical yet the new painter has never seen or heard of the old picture." He pulled up another picture with a similar painting, though much clearer than the first.

Sylar looked at both pictures for a long time. "Where does the second one come from? Do you know who painted it?"

"Yes," Shlomo replied. "It's in America."

Sylar stood straight. "Peter. He painted it, didn't he?"

"Yes," Shlomo closed off the two windows. "THIS was why the inner circle of the Kabbalah was established many eons ago. We combined our faith with the prophetic view of our fate. There is only one thing we don't know but when I first saw you so many years ago when you had time traveled backwards to establish yourself in Israel, I knew you were the last piece of the puzzle. You want to save your wife. You want this stopped. We all want to stop this. We can work together to find a solution. We just need one thing from you." Sholmo looked at Sylar, waiting for him to figure it out.

It took a while, but his birth power was getting stronger. "How long. You want to know how much time is left & I know since I was there."

"Now, you are getting it Gabriel," Shlomo said. "You are starting to use that power for what it was meant for."

Sylar hesitated for a moment before saying, "Five thousand years left. Give or take a century or so."

Shlomo sat back in his chair. "That isn't a lot of time."

"It's five millennia!"

"For something as big as this, it isn't a lot of time," Shlomo repeated. "Worse is, out of everyone currently in the Kabbalah, only you will live through everything. Regen is an extremely rare power. Only three walk the earth now who have it. Used to be four but Adam Monroe was a bit of a danger."

"Three," Sylar mused quietly. "Claire & I." He looked out the window for a long moment. "Does Peter have a scar across his face?"

"Yes. He had a bit of an accident a while ago."

Sylar swore badly under breath. "That means he has all his powers again, including regen. Now it will be almost impossible to kill him, but I will do it. I will find a way."

Shlomo sighed in annoyance. "You two deal with each other on your own time. Do not drag us down with it."

"I won't," Sylar promised. "My son is here. I do not want him falling into American hands."

"That would not be a good idea," Shlomo agreed.

"What happened to Peter to cause that scar?"

"A dumb accident. Rather hilarious. He was never good at teleporting & he knocked over Hiro's sword."

"Too bad it didn't kill him," Sylar muttered.

Shlomo rolled his eyes. "Dr. Suresh was able to reboot his proper mimicry like us a few months later, but it was too late to heal the old scar & regen didn't pick up on it."

"So you do watch those in America."

"We watch. Not just America but any where abilities show up. We do not interfere. It is not our way," Shlomo stood up. "Well, your son will be finished his day in about an hour. You're free to go where you please now. We have done enough for today."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Sylar glanced around, slightly panicked. Shlomo had never left him alone before now. "You're just going to let me wander around with your friends here in the meantime? What if I kill someone?"

"Gabriel, you have more control over yourself than you ever did under Noah Bennett's care & I use that word loosely," Shlomo gathered up his papers. "You won't kill anyone for abilities ever again." At that, he left the room, leaving Sylar alone & loose among several people who each had a power Sylar didn't have.

Sylar felt for his glasses with one hand, making sure they were in place before slowly moving to the door. The woman he thought he would kill blocked his way. She held out a hand. "You're the one with several powers like the rabbi, right?"

"Yes," Sylar quickly shook her hand for a moment, hoping he wouldn't feel another urge to take that power she had. She could become light, a literal statue of light. "You can be very sparkly." He suddenly stupidly said. He closed his eyes in embarrassment. "Ohm'gosh! I can NOT believe I just said that! I'm sorry."

The woman laughed out loud. "It's not the first time I hear that. I'm Ariel."

"Uhh," Sylar blinked. What the hell was his name again? Oh right. "Um Gabriel Gray."

Ariel looked him over. "You're Sylar. I've heard rumors for months now that you had joined."

"You know about Sylar?"

"He is the object of a lot of study in our ranks."

"I'm not too sure what to say about that."

"Rabbi Gordon was hoping you'd stay with us," Ariel said. "He has Intuitive Aptitude as well."

"You feel safe with him?"

"Why shouldn't I? He'd never hurt anyone!"

"But I have," Sylar pointed out. "You know what I've done if you've studied me."

"We also know it isn't entirely your fault," said Ariel. "You were improperly used by that American Company. It's very different here."

"I've noticed," Sylar looked around for a moment. "People are open in the Kabbalah. I've yet to sense any lies or hidden intentions. So far it seems to be genuine. But always, somewhere some way, I'm used to finding an agenda. I'd be more surprised if I don't find one here."

"You've been conditioned by America," Ariel said. "You'll be fine here." She paused before asking, "Why do you wear glasses? Your profile says you have the most elusive mystic power of all, regen."

"Gabriel Gray never hurt anyone," Sylar replied. "Sylar is my alter ego I try to bury under these. Ordinarily Gabriel is blind worse than a freaking bat! "

"You compartmentalized it," Ariel said after a short laugh. "That's a good way of dealing with it."

"So far, it seems to help."

Ariel moved closer & said in a low tone. "In Hebrew, we don't say regen but something else." She spoke a word in her native tongue.

"What does that mean?"

"Roughly translated, it means God's own power," Ariel began. "Regen is the most studied power. Few have ever had it. To live undying. Like a god would."

"Ahh, well, I'm not into the religious side of it," Sylar shrugged. "Personally I don't think any God would have allowed someone like me to exist."

"You think your ability is a curse?"

"Look what I have done to people because of it," Sylar said. "My own future wife as well. I ripped her apart to become immortal & then I took advantage of the fact she forgot about me five thousand years later. I'm really only starting to truly love her now but it's too late. She dies. I let her die to save our son. Here right now, she hates me for what I've done & knows nothing of Noah. If there is a God, He would not have meant it to be so."

"My people got stuck with Hitler," Ariel said. "We still follow our God. It is people who make bad choices or in your case, were used by bad people. Not God's fault."

"There! That's exactly it. Where the hell was that God of yours during the Holocuast?"

"Our people, our culture was exposed to the world through that," Ariel said. "It is not always clear what purpose some things have, but where there are people like Hitler, there are also people like Shindler. I'm a descendent of the Shindlerjuden. My great-grandfather was one of his Jews."

"You are?" Sylar asked in surprise. "I've heard of him."

"He was a member."

"Shindler was part of the Kabbalah?"

"He was also part of our inner circle," Ariel added. "He had an ability. He could conceal things, or people. Make it look like someone wasn't there when they were standing right in front of you. How do you think he managed to hide over a thousand of us? His ability really helped."

"That certainly wasn't mentioned in the school books I grew up with."

"He kept his ability hidden throughout the war as well," Ariel said. "He only admitted to it many years later, not long before he died." She pushed some hair back from her face, tucked it behind one ear & moved for the door. "I better get home. See you later."

After the door closed behind her, Sylar looked around the large room. It was similar to a library, with several couches & tables set around. Other members were either stretched out on one couch or another or sitting at a table, studying the books in front of them. All seemed to have a Torah & Talmud along with other books most likely about abilities that had shown up in the past. All had at least one ability themselves but Sylar didn't feel an urge to kill them. It really was different here. They accepted him like they did their leader who could just as easily be as dangerous as Sylar, but chose not to. The only difference between them & Sylar was their belief that some God or other had granted these powers. Sylar blamed science gone horribly wrong. But that didn't explain abilities from thousands of years ago.

Sylar finally made his way down to the main floor where Noah would be & took him home. As the days went by & he got deeper into the mysticism side of the Kabbalah, Sylar began to notice something else. Due to school for both Noah & himself, Sylar was getting out more & people were starting to notice him. Mainly the women. Sylar was well aware of his attractive looks for he had used those looks to get his way in the past. He could seduce the most reluctant girl on the planet into his bed, have his way with her & if she had an ability, he could kill her as an added pleasure high for himself & earn another power.

But that seemed alien to him now. He no longer killed for sport but look at Noah wrong & there would be trouble. But more to the point, the females checking him out were all mortals. Sylar missed Claire but wouldn't dare go near her at this time. Five millennia was a long wait but she was the only other immortal worth waiting for. Peter was a guy & he hated the medic's guts anyway. Really, only Claire was left to him if he turned away from mortal women.

Regen really was becoming a worse curse to him than any other power he had.

It soon became apparent that there were two types who were discreetly checking him out. The younger group were superficially appreciating his physique. The older group however seemed to like that fact that he had a small son tagging along after him wherever he went. He was suddenly more than just an object of desire but Sylar was still too caught up on the past that was also to be a distant future & eventually, he got a simple gold ring to prove he was not 'on the market' right now. It was just him & Noah. Claire would be eons ahead. Whether or not Noah would be there by then remained to be seen. The child still didn't develop any abilities but Sylar wasn't worried about that yet. It was still a few years to go before puberty came when many abilities sprung up all over America in young people. Sylar himself was an adult when his first curse showed up.

Noah himself was really starting to settle into the school life. It was his last year of preschool, kindergarten, & soon, he would start grade one. Sylar still did a lot of homeschooling with Noah on the Ipad every evening & spent more time during the weekend since pretty much everyone in the area had other things to do & left the pair alone. Noah was becoming advanced for his age. He could even cook an egg breakfast & knew how to crack them open without breaking a yoke after copying his father's moves several times.

The extra studies ended up pushing Noah ahead to grade two when he was halfway through grade one. It helped Noah adjust to a full day at a state school. He no longer had Jason in class with him for his friend had been sent to a religious school & Noah had to start all over again making friends but he seemed to handle it well. He still found Jason often enough at the playgrounds in between classes.

This caused a problem for Sylar. Whenever Noah was around Jason, he would pick up on things the other boy said or did about the Torah, the feast days or any other faith-related thing. Sylar didn't want to separate the boys any more than what they already were for they seemed to get along great, but he had another talk with Noah about leaving God at the door of their house.

"That's a good idea Daddy."

"Ok I'm glad you agree."

"He can keep Elijah company out there."

Sylar stopped & stared at his son. "Who's Elijah?" Noah just shrugged. "Is he a new friend of yours from school? You can invite him in you know."

"No," Noah said. "Elijah has to come in on his own."

"That's silly," Sylar went to the door, opened it & looked around for the other kid but no one was there. Noah wasn't lying about his new friend Elijah but at the same time, there was no one outside to be found. He finally chalked it up to it probably an imaginary friend & forgot the matter for the time being. It wasn't until the spring almost four months later that Sylar randomly found out that Elijah was a Jewish prophet who never died & would unexpectedly show up at someone's door during the Passover. Sylar shot a glare at his son. "Noah, that's a Jewish thing. We aren't Jews. Just friends of Jews. It won't happen to us anyway because of that even if it was true."

"It might," Noah said.

"No, we aren't Jews," Sylar repeated. They stared at each other. "Noah, the Sabbath hours are starting soon. Go light the candles."

"Why do we do this since we don't actually keep Sabbath?"

"Well when you were younger, it was to get you started on fire safety," Sylar explained. "But all your friends are Jewish & this is an important day for them so it's best you learn their customs so you won't offend them. Technically it's supposed to be the lady of the house but it's just us so you can do it. Apart from that, it means nothing to us. Same thing goes for the Menorah."

Noah finished lighting the candles then went to sit at the table. Sylar put a plate down for each of them & sat across from his son. "Daddy, if there was a God, would you hate it?"

Sylar was beginning to feel a need to kill something. Just drop the subject already. It was a trick question. If he said yes, Noah would want to know why. If he said no, Noah would want to know why anyway since one way or the other, Sylar did indeed hate the very notion of it. "It's of no concern of ours," He finally answered. "We aren't Jews, Noah. It's just a cultural thing."

"But other people believe in God," Noah pressed. "There are three in class who say they are Christian & two say they are Muslim."

"I thought that school was state secular," Sylar muttered under breath. 

"They're just visiting."

"Oh well. Thank God for that," Sylar snapped sardonically.

Noah laughed. "You're funny Dad."

"Noah," Sylar snapped his fingers & pointed at the plate in front of the boy. "Eat or the glasses come off. Now!" Noah sighed heavily but finally shut up & did what he was told. He didn't like Daddy without glasses. Sylar had never laid a finger on the boy but that simple unmasked glare was terrifying. Noah was fortunate to not know just how terrifying it could be. For many, that face was the last thing they saw before they died in a most brutal way.

"Daddy, can I get a puppy for my birthday?" Noah suddenly asked.

Sylar nearly dropped his fork. "You're kidding me..."

"There's one in Haifa I really like."

Sylar pulled the glasses off part way, but then thought of something. He had never expected to bribe his son with a dog but here was a way out of Noah's religious phase, for it would be just a phase! "If I get you the damn dog, will you stop talking about God in this house?"

"Ok," Noah agreed.

The puppy Noah pointed out to him when they went into the city turned out to be cute enough to win even the likes of Sylar over. It was a purebred little corgi. Noah called it Aviv after the Hebraic name for a spring month. Sylar watched the pair play in the back yard & couldn't help but think of Claire who also had dogs in her life. It's probably where Noah got it from for he was a lot like his mother. Sylar hoped the boy would continue to be more like Claire. Troublesome though she was, at least she didn't have Sylar's terrible power or a major lust for blood like he did.

Noah & Jason hung out a lot together whenever they were at the playgrounds during the summer. Sylar had even allowed Jason to come over & let the boys play with the dog on the beach in the sand. But thanks to Aviv, Noah didn't mention God to his father again.

Sylar still kept up with homeschooling as much as possible so Noah was well prepared to start grade three while everyone else he knew started grade two. Noah was speaking a lot of Hebrew which Sylar was also learning for the Kabbalah. He was often using Noah's language apps on the Ipad whenever he had a minute alone.

However a few short years later when the school now had the mandatory class of either English or French along with Hebrew, Noah went for French & tried teaching his father, who didn't speak a single word of it. Sylar tried but Noah however, was a very judgmental critic, quick to point out what Sylar was doing wrong & it was almost impossible to please the child if the French was anything less than perfect.

Sylar gave up.

Noah, on the other hand, learned the entire language rather quickly for he had already known several words of it since Jason had French-Canadienne background from his mother & already knew English & French quite well, speaking both around Noah all the time. The only thing Noah had to learn was the difference between Canadienne & real Parisian French.

As far as language was concerned, Sylar did accidentally expose Noah to swearing during a rare snowfall late in winter. Israel hardly ever got snow & this was the first time Noah would experience the white fluff. It was only a few inches that had fallen over night & was still there in the morning when it was time to go to school. So rare was Israeli snow that literally no one was prepared for it: no winter tires or chains, no salt for the little bit of ice. Nothing! Sylar drove slowly & was half wondering if he shouldn't use teleportation when his car went sideways. It spun to a stop right before narrowly missing a tree.

Sylar let out a long sigh of relief before snarling under breath, "Uhh this is exactly why we never went to Canada so we could avoid this shit!" Noah repeated one word his father said that he had never heard before. The very last word. Sylar rolled his eyes shut as Noah said it again. He almost took the glasses off but it wasn't the kid's fault. It was his. He turned to look into the back seat. "You ok buddy?" Noah nodded as he clutched Aviv closely & said the word again. "Noah, don't say that one. Daddy gets to say it 'cause he nearly wiped us both out. Adult privilege. Not for you yet ok?" Noah pouted but fell silent as Sylar turned back to the front just in time to see a load of snow come crashing down onto the window shield, making him yelp in surprise. "AHH Ffff...or ...G—Pete's ...sake!" He groaned, narrowly avoiding both swearing in front of the child again & the word God in one breath. He hated Peter anyway, so who cares? "Stay put Noah. I'm just going to get out & check the car."

Sylar got out & glared up at the tree that had snow-free branches now that it had dumped it all onto his car, closed the door & went around to the back. Noah turned around in the back seat to watch his father through the window with Aviv by his side. Sylar turned away. "Ohh," He groaned, rubbing one side of his face. "Screw the kid up & it's all on you, Gabriel. Claire isn't here. Can't blame her. It's YOUR fault." He looked around. A moment later he would have died if it weren't for the cheerleader's power. One foot went out from under him & he went down quicker than the Twin Towers, smashing the back of his head on the car so hard, it caused a dent & left a streak of blood from his scalp. He had been standing on a small patch of ice. Sylar lay very still on the ground for a moment as he slowly came to, thanks to the regen. "Really, really glad I took Claire's power right about now," He moaned as he slowly sat up.

Aviv was soon clamouring into his lap as Noah had come out. "What happened Daddy? You ok?"

"Ice," Sylar replied weakly. "Ice happened. What do you say we take the day off?" Noah nodded excitedly while Sylar pulled out his phone to call the school. He opened it up & half of it dropped to the ground. "Oh come on!" He complained loudly. "Let's just get home. I will use the land-line."

It was an even slower ride back home. As it turned out, the school was closed down for the day anyway. Noah brought Aviv outside & played in the snow for a while before it disappeared completely late in the afternoon. Noah came inside rather sad. He asked for a long time when more snow would come, but it wouldn't be for a few more years before another snowfall would happen.

To counter the fact that Noah's experience with snow was weak & short-lived, Sylar transported the boy to Alaska as a surprise for his birthday. Noah could get his fill of cold & snow & long dark days for the weekend. While he had fun on the ice, Aviv wasn't so sure & stood by the door of the hotel, one front paw up. The dog was more entranced by the grand display of the Northern Lights & eventually moved to the front of the porch, but he was much happier when they went back home the next day.

As Noah got older, he was spending more time away from his father. Sylar often followed Noah as Kestrel but he didn't hover as much as before. Noah would either be at school or finding Jason somewhere in Haifa. For some reason the two managed to keep contact despite going to separate schools. Tirzah would often be around with Jason & Sylar would stay with Shlomo more often. Tirzah was an excellent caretaker; though, it had taken years for Sylar to half-trust Noah to anyone other than himself.

It seemed an almost normal life at last, almost like how it was before abilities showed up, before he had become Sylar. Now he was like any other person almost, a single father with a pre-teen son but Sylar was beginning to worry about abilities surfacing in Noah. Would his son get the one he was born with? Or pick up any one of the other powers he had taken by force? Or perhaps not develop any ability at all. So far, there was nothing within Noah that Sylar could 'see' with his own power, but he silently fretted over passing on the Gray family curse.

An ability didn't show up at the time but another encounter of faith did when Noah got invited to Jason's bar mitzvah. Naturally, this meant Sylar would have to go as well, being Noah's chaperon.

"They don't mind that we're atheist?" Sylar asked, secretly hopeful it would be a yes.

"Of course not," Noah half-snapped. "We're just going to be with Jason is all."

"I've never set foot in a synagogue," Sylar tried again.

"I've done it twice," Noah admitted. "Jason showed me around inside two of them." 

"Was this during services of any sort?"

"No."

"So you boys broke in," Sylar stated.

"Well, no he had the keys," Noah defended. "His Dad owns one of them & visits the other often.

"Noah!" Sylar groaned, taking off the glasses & rubbing his face with both hands for a moment. "What if I talk to Jason's parents about it? How do you think they would react?"

"I don't know," Noah shrugged. "It was a couple years ago. What are they going to do about it?"

"I better not hear of another incident like that again," Sylar put the glasses back on before teasing, "When's this bare it all thing again?"

"Dad!" Noah gasped in horror. "What is wrong with you?" Sylar just laughed. Noah rolled his eyes. "You're so weird."

"You have no idea!"

The ceremony wasn't for a few more months which gave them both time to look it up to see what they should wear & how to behave. When the day came, Aviv was left at home as well. Sylar entered the synagogue behind Noah & looked it over while they found seats. "Never thought I'd end up in one of these," he remarked to Noah in a whisper.

"Have you ever been in a religious building before?" asked Noah.

"Catholic church once or twice," Sylar shrugged. "But not for service."

"So you broke in!" Noah accused, smiling.

"Shut up," Sylar grumbled. "Ok fine. First time I was around your age. I was with a couple friends from high school. We went after the wine."

Noah gasped dramatically. "Sacrilege!"

Sylar clipped Noah over the head with the palm of his hand. "I thought I told you to shut up?" Noah bent over in his seat, smothering a laugh.

By the time Noah had recovered, the bar mitzvah had started, so he couldn't ask about the second time, or anything else about his father's past, at the moment. But Noah's attention kept drifting between his father & Jason. It was the first time Sylar had imparted any knowledge about his own life. Noah realized suddenly that his father had secrets, but what they were, he couldn't even begin to imagine. As he sat through the ceremony, he was beginning to see just how many differences there were between his family & Jason's.

Jason had aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins & cousins of cousins. Noah just had his father & Aviv. He knew his mother was dead, but didn't know anything about her, not even her name. Some of Jason's extended family on his mother's side were from Canada & even now, the French Canadienne could be heard as that group spoke fast in their native tongue. But some also came from 'the black' as Noah had always referred to the marked zone on the old globe. He knew by now that 'the black' was called America & Mexico but never understood why his father had blotted those from their globe. Another thing was that Jason had loads of pictures of the whole family. Noah had been in his house a few times. There were pictures along the walls of various family members. But at his own home, while there were plenty of pictures of mostly himself & Aviv, with some including his father as well, there was no one else.

Noah pretended to watch Jason, but let his side vision look over his father sitting beside him. He slowly turned his gaze downward to see his father's hands folded in his lap, the old Sylar watch on one wrist. Noah had seen the watch plenty of times before, knew it was broken, but now that he thought of it, why didn't his father ever get a new watch or get this one fixed? He wondered if maybe the watch had been a gift from his mother perhaps & it was all that was left from her. He looked at the gold wedding ring for a moment before looking around for a moment, taking a closer look at Jason's family.

Noah soon noticed something else. Some of the other people were old, had graying hair, or bald heads. They older folks had wrinkles as well. Checking his father with a quick side glance, it occurred to him that his father always looked the same. The only thing that would change occasionally would be his hair. Sometimes a bit longer, sometimes cut short, once almost shorn off completely during a particularly hot summer. But it had always been jet black. Not a single gray hair to be found. Besides that & the differences between wearing glasses or not, there wasn't much of a change.

Looking directly ahead at the person sitting in front of him, Noah could see a small scar running down the back of the man's neck before it disappeared into the collar of his shirt. That was another thing about his father; Noah couldn't remember ever seeing any scars on him. He sometimes saw his father bleed but now that he that of it, was the blood from his father? It seemed like every time there was in fact no wound after all & certainly no scars. Noah glanced down at the watch one last time before directing his full attention to Jason who was just finishing at last.

Once everyone made their way outside, chatting with each other or congratulating Jason, Noah slowly slipped away from his father. He wanted to meet some of the American family Jason had. Keeping an eye on his father, he skirted around the outside & stayed out of sight until Jason's mother had Sylar occupied.

"There you are," Jason snuck up behind Noah & poked him, making him jump.

"Do that again I'll punch your ugly face in!" Noah snapped, earning a laugh. Jason was anything but ugly.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get away from Dad."

"Why? Being a bad boy?"

"Jason!" Noah whined. "Bloody brat. No. I just want to meet your American family. You know Dad doesn't like America for some reason."

"So go meet them," Jason shrugged. "I don't think your Dad would mind. Worse comes to worse, just say you wanted to know the difference between American Jews & Israeli ones. Which by the way, there isn't. Well except the accent maybe."

"Yeah but I can't lie to him for some reason," Noah pointed out. "He ALWAYS figures it out. Like he feels it or something. Pisses me off sometimes. Although I do want to hear what an American sounds like. I could go with that I guess."

Jason grabbed Noah by one hand. "Come on." He dragged Noah along to the other side of the parking lot. "Here. My uncle Adam & my aunt Tabitha. Both are from Utah."

"You're Americans?" Noah asked. "Do you get a lot of snow?"

"Oh yes!" Tabitha replied. "Utah is horrendous in winter."

Adam checked Noah out before asking, "You a friend of Jason's from school?"

"We started together," Jason answered. "But he went to a state school so it kind of separated us. We still hang out in between time."

"I'm not a Jew," Noah said. "We—"

"Oh everyone has some Jewish background," Adam began. "You just haven't found it yet."

"Forgot to warn you about this one," Jason whispered out the corner of his mouth in Noah's ear. "He thinks everyone is Jewish but they just don't know it yet."

"Maybe someday I'll find out," Noah finally held out a hand. "I'm Noah Gray."

"Noah is a very good Jewish name," Adam shook hands approvingly. "Right out of the Torah!" Jason turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. "Are you parents here as well?"

"It's just me & my Dad," said Noah. "Mom's been dead since I was a baby. Dad's over there."

"Don't mention his name," Jason moaned to himself, unable to do anything. 

"Gabriel," Noah finished, not hearing. "Gabriel Gray."

"Gabriel is another good Jewish name," Adam said. "See? I'm sure you have some Jewish ancestry somewhere."

Jason looked to the sky & muttered in Hebrew. "_Just kill me now & get it over with!"_

"Gabriel Gray," Tabitha repeated slowly. "That kind of sounds familiar but—"

"Of course dear," Adam interrupted. "It's a good strong name from the Torah."

"Gray is NOT a name from the Torah!"

"But Gabriel is!"

The pair began arguing in Hebrew. Jason put both hands on Noah's arm & yanked hard. "Let's run while we can!"

"I like them," Noah laughed once they were a safe distance.

Jason glared indignantly. "They don't have kids, so they pick on me whenever there's a family reunion & they do that by embarrassing me in front of my friends!"

Noah put up both hands in defence. "Oh no no, don't pin any of that on me!" He teased. Laughing, he stepped backwards several times to avoid Jason's reach. He tripped on something & began falling back, into the street.

"NOAH!" Jason screamed, causing Sylar to whirl around just in time to see a truck slam into his son before it spun out of control until it hit the fence on the other side of the road.

Sylar ran forward, one hand raised to grab his son by force but it was too fast, too late. In an instant it was over & only a river of blood on the pavement marked where Noah had been run over. "NOAH!" Sylar fell to his knees in the road. "NOOO!"


	9. Chapter 9

**(9) Hour Of Redemption**

The waiting. It was the worst part. The whole group had joined Sylar in the waiting room while doctors worked frantically on Noah who was somehow still alive but only just so. He was not expected to survive & even if he did, he would be scarred & mostly likely disabled from being run into the ground by a large pickup truck.

The driver of the truck had died moments before the incident from a heart attack which was rather fortunate for it spared him from Sylar's seething wrath. His glasses lay folded on the small coffee table in the center of the room. All Sylar wanted to do was rip the man apart for even hurting Noah & possibly killing him. It was good that the man was already dead. Sylar got up & began pacing. Jason's father eventually stood up to try stopping him.

"No," Sylar put up one hand. "Stay away, Nehemiah. All I want to do right now is kill someone!"

"Gabriel..." Nehemiah stepped back once or twice, slightly alarmed at the almost vicious bearing Sylar had about him at the moment.

"Stay away," Sylar gasped. He turned away. None of these people deserved an attack from him. The one he wanted to kill was already dead. He walked right into one of the doctors who had come out at last but looked rather grim. The doctor was covered in blood, Noah's blood, Sylar realized.

"Are you the family of this child?" the doctor asked the group.

"It's just me," Sylar said in a whisper. "I'm Noah's father. There is no one else, but Jason is Noah's best friend. So whatever you say, just say it to all of us & get it over with."

The doctor hesitated before saying, "We tried everything—"

"N-No."

"He didn't make it."

Sylar collapsed into a chair, head in hands. Nehemiah sat beside him as others hung onto each other.

"I'm sorry," the doctor finished in a low voice. "We can clean him up & he will be in the morgue for when you're ready." The doctor cast one last sorrowful look over the group before leaving.

Nehemiah cautiously put a hand on Sylar's shoulder but was shrugged away. Sylar gasped for air a few times. "He...He can't—I…" He choked on words before standing abruptly & walked briskly from the room.

"Gabriel?" Nehemiah called but was ignored. Tirzah burst into tears as she held Jason close.

Using power, Sylar threw open the lobby doors & went outside. He transported to the beach by the house were he could be alone & glared at the sky. "Is this how it is?" he sobbed at last. "Is this how they all felt when I took one of theirs? Everyone I ever killed was someone's child or spouse or friend. Sister or brother! I took them all & didn't think about how it would affect others. IS THIS HOW IT FEELS?!" He fell to his knees. "Oh God! If you exist you are a cruel monster worse than I!" He gasped between tears. "I killed them all," He snarled in one breath. "Every last one & I fucking enjoyed it every time! I admit it! I ADMIT OK?"

Sylar clutched his chest with both hands as he wavered on his knees before lying on his side. "And now," he panted, gripping the damp sand with one hand. "Ohhh now! Oh God why? Now you make me feel the pain of every single surviving relative of all my victims all at once!" His body shook with raking sobs. A wave rolled into his face. The tide was coming in. "I get it," Sylar whispered hoarsely. He got back to his knees. "I get it! I really do. I deserve it. I DESERVE IT! ME! I deserve every last ounce of pain right now! I know it. Payback for my crimes. I FUCKING DESERVE IT ALL!"

He slowly stood up & stumbled towards the house. He stopped & looked back over the ocean, then said in a whisper. "But did Noah? Did he deserve any of this? What crime did that dear innocent boy ever commit?" Sylar glared at the sky again. "HE DIDN'T DESERVE ANY OF THIS! I'M THE ONE YOU WANT! I'M THE ONE YOU NEED! TAKE ME INSTEAD! PLEASE! GOD!" He leaned forward. "Oh God if you exist! Please take me instead! Come at me! I'm right here, ready for it. I deserve it all so give me all you got! Give it to me now! I will drink this cup of sorrows. I know I earned every last drop of it but do not expect me to set foot in your gates! I refuse! I REFUSE!"

Sylar fell to his knees again, this time on the grass just above the sandy beach. The sun was setting into the Mediterranean. He stared out over the green sea, watching the gold disc sink. It burned his eyes but he ignored it. He saw a rare sight, the fabled green flash before the sun set completely & he was left in almost total darkness. He didn't know how long he had been there, silently waiting on his knees, but he slowly gave up. "You don't even exist," he muttered at last. "Why do I even bother yelling at you?'

His phone vibrated in his pocket but Sylar ignored it. He knew what it was about. The process. The dreadful process he had forced so many others to go through. Dealing with the leftover body. It was his turn now. He had to collect his son's body. Decide a place of burial. Cremation or casket? The date of the funeral. He had to do it all & he had to do it alone. The process was another thing he deserved, the final nail in the proverbial coffin. The hilarious irony of it all was beyond cruel, but that's how he had been, exceptionally cruel, the brutality of his bloody killings was legendary, & today was the day he would bitterly reap what he had sown.

For a fleeting moment, he thought about time travel to save Noah but now or then, here or there, one way or the other Sylar would have to face Noah's impending death & he wondered if it would be worth it. What if he did go back to save him? It would expose his powers to those beyond the Kabbalah, expose Noah to the Company in America which would be a fate worse than death. It was all over now. Was there even any point? The phone continued to vibrate.

"Yes alright!" Sylar snapped irritably, pulling it out at last. "What?"

"Mr. Gray?"

"Yes what is it?" Sylar demanded in one shaky breath. He wiped away a few tears but more replaced them.

"I'm not sure how to say this but," the person who called hesitated before adding. "You're son is ...uh...he's asking for you." There was a long moment of silence. "Uh Mr. Gray, you there?"

"Noah is dead," Sylar whispered, hardly daring to hope.

"He was but something, I don't know what happened," the other one went on. "But he is asking where you are right now."

The phone fell to the grass. Sylar walked up behind the doctor & tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm right here."

"Mr. Gray," the doctor turned to him. "I don't know how, but we had your son on a slab in the morgue, cleaning off the blood. He just sat up & looked around." Sylar had both hands over his mouth by now as the doctor went on. "There's something else. Sir, he doesn't have a mark on him. It's like it never happened. The only reason why I know he was fatally injured is because I saw his ripped up body myself. I don't know what's going on."

"I do!" Sylar gasped in a whisper. "I do & I understand now. She can't produce regen in children without a partner who shares that ability. Without me. I really am her soulmate."

"Uh Sir?"

Sylar cleared his throat & spoke in a normal voice. "Where is he?"

"First door on the left," the doctor pointed down the hall. 

Sylar moved down the hall by himself & paused at the door. "Oh God," He pressed his forehead to the door. "Is this really happening?" He finally opened the door & entered. He went to the bed where Noah lay, looking out the window, & sat down.

Noah turned to look at him & sat up instantly, putting his arms around his father's neck. "That really hurt, Dad!" He complained.

"Yeah," Sylar laughed weakly. "Yeah it did."

"Stupid truck!" Noah was still grumpy. "Where'd it come from anyway?"

"The driver died of a heart attack," Sylar answered, holding Noah tightly. "He didn't know what happened."

Hearing a sniffle, Noah pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You don't have your glasses on," Noah pointed out.

Sylar managed a laugh through tears. "Ohh, I forgot them. Don't worry. You're not in any trouble." He looked Noah over in two ways, just to look at him & he let his first power seep in.

He could see Noah's ability. Regen but not like his own or Claire's. There was something more to it. Ordinarily, he would need to go for the base of the brain to figure it out but now, he just knew the difference. Noah's power was a super-regen. He could heal faster than his parents combined & unlike either of his parents, he didn't have a spot to strike him down. Noah would never again know death, not even temporarily. It was impossible to kill him & that would make him a target for the Company back in America. Noah would never be allowed in America if Sylar had anything to do with it. Sylar didn't know how that would go over when Noah was an adult, but he would make sure his son never set foot in that country.

Noah looked out the window again. "Dad, it's dark already?"

"A lot happened," Sylar replied. "Noah, uh, well, you died."

"Don't be silly," Noah laughed. "I'm right here."

"No," Sylar tried again. "You did die. They couldn't save you. Something else happened."

"Like what?"

Sylar took up Noah's right hand, turning the palm up. "Noah, I'm going to slice your palm. Trust me. It won't hurt. Just watch."

"Wait...WHAT?"

"It's ok Noah," Sylar raised his free hand, one finger pointing to Noah's palm. "I know what I'm doing." Unfortunately, he finished silently to himself.

Noah watched as a small pale red line streaked across his hand back & forth a few times. "That kind of prickles a bit."

"You heal faster than I," Sylar let go both his power & his son's hand. 

"Heal?"

"Here, watch this," Sylar now did the same thing to his own palm using his force power. He winced at the pain as he cut deep. Unlike Noah, his wound bled for a moment before sealing over.

"How'd you do that?" Noah gasped.

Sylar raised a hand towards a napkin on the nightstand beside Noah's bed & summoned it over, then wiped the excess blood from his freshly healed palm. "It's called an ability. You have regen like me, but yours is much faster than mine."

"What was that other thing you just did?"

"Telekinetic," Sylar said. "I can move things with my mind."

Noah slowly sat up straighter in bed. "You can also move really fast. I remember."

"Teleportation. I can move through time & space."

"How many abilities do you have?"

"Too many, I'd say."

"Where do they come from?"

"Depends who you ask, either science or some God or other," Sylar shrugged. "I used to know some doctors who were screwing around with genetics, the adrenal glands, stuff like that. They were able to synthesize powers for people but the problem with that was no one knew what they would get until after they tried to get a power."

"But no body did any experiments on me," Noah pointed out.

"A few of us are born this way," Sylar said.

"So are y—"

"Noah hush," Sylar stood up. "We shouldn't talk about these things here. If the wrong sort over heard us, there could be trouble. Let's go home & take care of Aviv, then we can talk."

"Ok," Noah slipped out of bed & followed his father out to the waiting room where everyone else was still hanging around.

Jason was the first to get close to him. "Are you ok?"

"Dad said I died."

"Yeah well," Jason nervously rubbed the back of his head a moment. "You got wiped out by a truck."

"I know," Noah muttered. "That didn't feel too good either." He looked sideways towards his father leaning against the doorframe, waiting for him. Sylar shook his head once & crossed his lips with one finger. Noah tried not to roll his eyes. He couldn't even tell Jason? "I gotta go," Noah told Jason. "Poor Aviv's been alone all day."

Leaving was easier said than done. Jason's entire family pressed around him & everyone wanted to at least touch the miracle boy who lived. Tirzah grabbed him back more than once, still crying. It wasn't for several minutes until Noah was able to leave at last.

They got into the car but Sylar didn't start it yet. He finally looked back at Noah. "Want to sit up front?"

"SERIOUSLY?" Noah exclaimed.

"Well you're thirteen now," Sylar said. "Consider it your bar mitzvah."

Noah scoffed as he got out. "Why are you so weird?"

Sylar was grinning like an idiot while Noah settled into the front seat for the first time in his life. "You have no idea."

When they got home, Aviv took one look at them before turning tail & running under the couch. Sylar & Noah got down on hands & knees trying to coax the dog out. Aviv slowly slunk out on the other side. When the two went around to meet him, Aviv hung his head. He had been abandoned all day & wondered if maybe he had been a bad dog or something.

"Aw come on," Sylar crouched down & held a hand out. "I know it took longer than planned. We had an accident. Come here."

Aviv growled at him instead. He went to Noah who picked him up & carried him into the kitchen.

Sylar sighed heavily as he stood up. "Well ok then! I just got my ass dumped by a dog."

"You still don't have your glasses, Dad," Noah said. "Aviv probably doesn't recognise you."

"Ohh I left them at the hospital," Sylar said. "But I should still smell the same." He held out his hand but Aviv growled again. "Alright." He pulled away. "I will try getting them back tomorrow."

Noah filled Aviv's water & food bowls. "He sure is hungry."

"We were only supposed to be gone for the afternoon," Sylar said as he sat at the table & pushed a chair out for Noah. "What do you want to know first?"

"About what?"

"Your ability," Sylar answered. "I have regen as well. I know quite a bit about it."

"I don't seem to feel as much pain as before," Noah began. "But you looked like you felt what you were doing to your hand."

"It's because you heal a lot faster than I do."

"Why didn't I heal before now?"

"Oh, that's a big question," Sylar watched Aviv for a moment. "Abilities need some sort of cataclysm before they appear. A bit like jump starting a car. Back in my day, it was a major eclipse that made abilities manifest in some people. For you, I think it was the truck that did it. It shocked your body enough to go into survival mode & regen took care of the rest."

"Are there others like us?"

"I'm in the Kabbalah's inner circle," Sylar was suddenly glad he had joined so many years ago. He could tell Noah all about people with abilities who were a part of that & not have to mention any one in America. "So you could join us when you're twenty years old," he finished a while later. "If you want to study it more. I had already made some arrangements in case you ever developed an ability. I'd be with you the whole time. You can meet others with powers under my supervision. Shlomo would love to have you. This is actually good news for him. He was hoping you'd have an ability & want to join. He's not doing too well though."

"He has cancer right?" Noah asked. "If he had regen, he could be cured."

"No, regen would accelerate the growing cells," Sylar said. "It won't cure cancer. If it shows up in someone before cancer does, then you'd never get it. But it's too late for Shlomo."

"That sucks," Noah said. "How come you seem to have more than one ability?"

"The one I was born with allows me to mimic other powers," Sylar thought hard. He needed to get away from that one quickly. Fortunately, Aviv provided a distraction as he jumped into Noah's lap.

"Hey Dad, can animals have abilities?"

"Uhh, I don't know," Sylar answered, rather surprised at the idea. "That would be an interesting study."

"Maybe Santa IS real & his reindeer have flying power."

"Maybe," Sylar laughed shortly. "Never really thought about that."

"Why can't I tell anyone about how I can heal?"

"Noah, no one outside the Kabbalah can know," Sylar was instantly defensive. "The regen is one of the most dangerous powers to have. Dangerous for its host. If the wrong people knew about you, they would take you away, lock you up & study you like a guinea pig for ever."

"They'll keep me until I die?"

"Noah," Sylar stood up & went to the counter to lean on it. He turned back to his son but saw Claire instead, the moment after he had taken her power. "Poor boy. There is so much about yourself you don't even understand. Your brain is not like the others, Noah. You are not like the others. You're different. You're special & I couldn't kill you even if I wanted to. You can never die & neither can I."

They stared at each other for a long time. Noah was shocked into silence, partly from what he just heard but mostly from what he was seeing. It was fortunate he couldn't understand that either for he now seeing his father in the same way his mother had seen him after his brutal attack on her. He was seeing Sylar for the first time, not Gabriel Gray, but had no way of knowing that fact.

Noah clutched Aviv, watching Sylar. "...Dad?" He finally breathed in a low voice. "You're...kind of scaring me, right now."

"I know."

Aviv whined. He was being held too tightly. "Uh, Dad?"

Sylar wavered slightly. He glanced around then checked Noah who was still hanging onto a wriggling Aviv. "Noah," Sylar gasped weakly. "Noah I...can you excuse me for a moment?" he hurried for the door.

"Dad?"

"Just stay there Noah," Sylar ordered as he went outside. "Stay back! I'll be back later. Just stay inside." He let the door slam as he left.

Noah finally released the poor dog. "What the hell was that about?" He waited for a few minutes but Sylar didn't return.

Noah finally decided to go look for his father but to do so quietly. He didn't want to run into his father on the way out in case he was returning so Noah went around to the back door, shoved Aviv back inside before the dog could betray him & stepped out into the night. He slunk around in the shadows, checking over the grounds, first through the back yard & then the front before moving towards the shoreline. He had to pass the two door garage standing by itself off to one side from the house & planned to use that to keep hidden. He heard something inside.

Noah slowly moved to the side door that was partially opened & looked inside. He could see his father lying on the floor in the empty parking spot beside their latest Audi. Sylar had both hands over his face, softly crying. Noah was shocked for the second time that night. He had never seen his father in such a state before. He wanted to run to him but also away from him. Sylar had left him in the house, told him to say. Noah knew he was not supposed to see whatever he was seeing & after a few painstaking moments, he forced himself to return to the house.

Sylar let the door slam behind him & marched quickly to the garage. He slowed to a stop by the car & leaned back against the driver's door. After a while, he looked at himself in the side mirror. "How DARE you come out around Noah? How dare you! I know I left my glasses somewhere but I am still Gabriel Gray! Still Noah's father. Sylar has no place here!"

He looked away from his reflection. Who was he kidding? The on/off glasses had been a game to keep Noah in line & nothing more. Sylar liked games, especially when he won & his prize was blood or sex, most of the time, both. He was as much Sylar as he was Gabriel Gray. The lust for blood was coursing through his veins. Reliving that moment with Claire from so long ago had roused him in more ways than one. He had always known he would end up bedding that cheerleader. Took five thousand years from her point of view & he had used that to his advantage. Some things just wouldn't change.

"Oh Claire," Sylar chuckled softly to himself. "Claire if you only knew right now." Still laughing, he slid down the metallic door to the floor. But the laughter was becoming more forced as he went down & turned to tears. "Ohh what have I done, what have I done?" He whispered aloud. "I'm so sorry Claire! For everything. For taking Nathan from you. For hurting you so much! How can I even claim to love you?" He gasped in a much need breath. "And now that THING is here for our son! It goes on. I won't let it, dear girl. I've held on this long. I just need to catch my breath. I WILL hold it back."

He rolled flat onto his back in the middle of the spare parking zone. He refused to move until lust of all kinds had settled. It would be a long night but if he kept himself still, maybe it would help to calm down. "Come on Sy, old man," He begged himself. "You've got to hold on. For Noah." He wiped away tears with both hands as he tried to keep it together.

By the time he calmed down, the sun was rising, casting long shadows through the windows & open door. Sylar slowly pulled himself up. He blearily looked around wondering where he was until both regen & his senses kicked in. "Oh great," he moaned, remembering everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours. "What a mess." He slowly made his way back to the house & went inside.

Sylar looked around the ground floor of the house but Noah was not to be found. Guiltily, he looked at the stairs. He knew he had scared Noah last night & he had deliberately done so. But did Noah know it had been on purpose? Hoping on 'not', Sylar made his way upstairs towards Noah's room in much the same way he had gone up to Claire's room the day he became immortal. No. Wait. He needed to stop reliving such moments. Wasn't that what caused a rise in him last night?

"Noah?" Sylar stood at the door & slightly opened it. "Noah, are you in here?" He slowly moved in & looked around for his son.

Problem was, one really had to look for Noah in his bedroom for Noah liked an ordered chaos. Though it was kept spotlessly clean & his room was well organized, it had plushies everywhere. Each one had a spot in the bedroom, be it on a shelf or on the bed or on the floor. They lined trails around the floor that had to be followed. Noah had upwards of two hundred plush animals or more. He was an avid collector & it was all Claire's fault, Sylar realized. Claire had collected a few, A FEW, teddy bears but that interest exploded exponentially in her son. It didn't stop at teddies for Noah. He had everything from cats to dinosaurs, elephants to platypodes, horses of any kind, including unicorns & Pegasus types. He had some rare ones like a small stingray. All different sizes from some fitting in the palm of one's hand to at least two about as tall as Sylar. He still had his very first two teddy bears, Mr. Muggles & Shiva, but they were kept in a cabinet behind glass as they were both old & slightly worn. Slightly for Noah had always taken care of every single one, even fixing them as needed. The bed was covered in them but somehow in a neat order & in the midst was a 'nest' that Noah would retreat into.

The entire setup was simultaneously neat yet utter chaos at the same time & Sylar realized how his own mind & his son's bedroom mirrored each other. This was how his insanity got passed on to his firstborn child. Plush for Noah & blood for the Sylar. Neither desire utterly quelled.

Sylar cautiously put one knee on the bed so as not to disturb the plush. It would offend them Noah would say, plus it would incur the wrath of Noah as well. He was very protective of the things & his temper was forged from the combined stubbornness of both his parents; though, he didn't show it as often. Even Aviv had learned quickly to not touch Noah's plush toys. Sylar used the force power to lift away the edge of the blanket to find Noah still sleeping.

"Hey," Sylar swiped his fingers softly over Noah's cheek. "Come on buddy. Wake up." He could feel the bed shifting as Noah stretched hard & long. He opened one eye, glaring up at his father who should know by now to not bloody wake him up! He hated being awakened. It was a well-known fact that Noah wasn't a morning person & it was hard to get him out of bed for school every day. "There you are. Are you ok?"

"No," Noah snapped. "You interrupted a good dream. Go away!"

Sylar just laughed. "School starts soon. How about some waf—fles..." Noah had already yanked the blankets up over his head, grumbling. "Ok fine. I'll just take..." Sylar glanced around at the plushies, trying to find one he could remember the name of. Noah had names, genders & back stories for every single one of them. He saw the large wombat at the foot of the bed. That one was easy for it was named after the Australian city. "Sydney! She can come down with me then." Sylar reached for the toy.

"NO!" Noah sat up at last.

"Then get up," Sylar teased, holding Sydney away.

"Give her back!"

"You have five minutes to get your ass in a chair downstairs, then I will," Sylar smiled triumphantly as he walked out, plush wombat under one arm. Noah screamed in rage. "Hm, hm, so much like his mother," Sylar laughed under breath as he went down the stairs.

"I hate you!"

Sylar put the wombat to one side on the counter. "Ha. Really, like his mom."

Fifteen minutes later, Noah finally sauntered on in to the dining room & plopped into a chair. "I hate getting up all the time!"

"Some days I'm like that too," Sylar put a plate of waffles in front of Noah who just glared at them, still groggy. He put Sydney on the table away from Noah. "You can have her back when you're done eating."

"Not hungry. Rather sleep."

"Sleep in the car then."

Noah had been holding his head up with one hand but now let that hand fall down flat to thump lightly on the table. "Why? Since you can teleport, I can sleep longer & we just get to school a few minutes before it starts. Don't need the car."

"Yes we do," Sylar had some of his own waffles before adding. "First of all, its part of a routine. Secondly, I told you yesterday, we can't have people knowing about any powers we have. That can cause problems. People get hurt."

Noah started picking at his food, as Sylar knew he would eventually do. "Where'd you go last night?" 

Sylar put his fork down & took a long time to answer. "I needed a moment alone. I had an issue to deal with. Never mind. It's all over now anyway. Now about school," He proceeded to give Noah instructions to keep his ability hidden, sounding for all the world like Noah Bennet when he tried to keep Claire silent. He was still lecturing Noah right up until they got to the school door. They sat in silence for a moment before Noah started to get out. "Noah," Sylar put a hand on his son's arm & held him back. "Noah, I...I know I really terrified you last night. I am sorry about that. But that was just me. Imagine how someone who would intend you harm could be. That's why you have to keep silent ok?"

"You look really different without your glasses."

"No glasses means trouble," Sylar said. "Although this time, the trouble can come from somewhere else if people found out."

"You really mean it, that we can't die?" Noah asked.

"That's right," Sylar replied solemnly. "Very few have regen."

"Are there others who are immortal?"

Sylar looked at him for a long moment. "Not that we know of." He suddenly understood why Noah Bennet would lie to Claire all the time. It used to piss him off. He had always been straight with Claire. In his own way, he had tried to protect Claire as well by simply telling her the truth. But he & Noah Bennet ended up in the same boat together. Claire hated both. Her Dad for lying, Sylar for everything else. Would it end up the same way with Noah Gray?


	10. Chapter 10

**(10) The Guessing Game**

"Incoming call from Tirzah Gatineau."

Sylar stopped the car near the edge of the parking lot of the hospital. "Go."

"Gabriel, you left your glasses at the hospital," Tirzah began. "Jason grabbed them."

"Oh is that what happened?" Sylar replied. "I'm just leaving the hospital now. Gave up looking for those things."

"I didn't know until we got home last night," Tirzah said. "When can I bring them over?"

"Tell you what, how about I pick up both boys from their schools & drop Jason off?" Sylar asked. "I can get the glasses then."

"Uh sure if that isn't out of the way?"

"I'll be taking Noah out anyway," Sylar said. "He just about died yesterday. He might need someone to talk to."

"It's a miracle what happened to him!" Tirzah exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sure science has some explanation or other," Sylar gently reminded her they were atheist. "As for Noah, he'll probably forget it once he finds yet another plushy."

"He is quite the collector."

"Yeah, until he outgrows it, then I will be stuck with the damn things," Sylar laughed dryly. "See you this afternoon." He turned the car towards the road & headed home.

When school ended, Sylar picked up Noah first even though Jason's school was technically closer. He sent Noah in to fetch the other boy while he waited in the car. Noah took his time, though; looking around at the school he had never been in before. It had more religious symbols lining the walls, Torahs among other religious books, could be found in nearly ever classroom. He finally entered the principal's office to find Jason waiting for him.

Once the pair left, Jason pulled Noah into an empty classroom. "What happened to you yesterday?"

"I got hit by a truck," Noah said. "I thought you were there?"

"Noah, you died!"

Noah thought about his father's warning, but surely that didn't include his best friend did it? He wanted to tell him, but then he remembered how he had seen his father last night. He had seen Sylar without realizing it. He decided to plan this conversation instead of just telling Jason right away. "Maybe the doctors did a better job on me than they thought?"

"You don't have a scratch on you!" Jason pressed. "I saw you lying in the road after the truck ran you over. All that blood! It wasn't from the driver."

"Jason, I do have something else to tell you, but not now."

"Why not?"

"My Dad," Noah said. "Let's wait for some other time."

"Ok then," Jason gave up. "There is something I need to show you when we get to my place by the way. Something really weird."

"We better go," Noah turned for the door. "Dad's waiting." He led Jason out to the car & both got into the back seat.

When they got to Jason's house, both he & Noah got out. Sylar thought Noah was moving to the front seat, but instead he followed Jason to the door. "Noah, where you going?"

"Um inside?"

"We're not staying today," Sylar stated.

"I know," Noah said. "Just for a minute. I will bring your glasses out."

"Alright but hurry up."

"It's funny seeing your Dad without glasses," Jason remarked as they headed up the stairs.

"Jason!"

Halfway up the stairs, Jason stopped & rolled his eyes. "Yes Mom?"

"I can't find Gabriel's glasses. Can you find them?"

"I have them, remember?" Jason shouted back. "I'm going to get them now." He hurried the rest the way up the stairs & down the hall. Once they got into his bedroom, Jason grumbled. "I hate being asked to do something I'm literally in the process of doing. Don't parents OBSERVE some times?"

"Dad does it all the time," Noah agreed. "Drives me insane. Yet they claim to watch us twenty-four-seven or something stupid like that."

"Yeah good luck with that!" Jason laughed. "Here." He picked up a pair of glasses from his table.

"Those aren't Dad's."

"No, they're not," Jason said. "That's my Grand-mamma's spare pair. Take a look through them."

Noah held them up. "It's all blurry for me."

"Now try your Dad's," Jason finally handed them over. "Look through them, then look at the window."

Noah did so. "It's the same view. Your Grandmother needs a new pair."

"No," Jason said. "These glasses are perfect for her. It's blurry for us since it isn't set for our eyes. For her eyes, they would show clear sight. But your Dad's are just windows, no lens." He leaned closer to Noah. "They're fake."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Jason nodded his head. "It's just for show I think. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But he doesn't need glasses."

"I'm usually in trouble when the glasses are off," Noah began. "It's an exception right now 'cause of the accident & all, but Dad got really strange last night." He described how Sylar looked for a moment. "It's like he was in some sort of trance all of a sudden. Never saw anything like it before. When I told him he was starting to scare me, all he said was 'I know' like he enjoyed it or something."

"I doubt he enjoyed it," Jason said. "Why would he even want to scare you like that?"

"I don't know but he got pretty upset about it right after," Noah proceeded to explain finding his father on the floor of the garage. "He doesn't know I saw him. Jason, I've never seen Dad cry. I don't know what would have made him do that, but I think he is scared of something too."

"Your Dad?" Jason asked in surprise. "Afraid of something? I didn't think he would be afraid of anything. He doesn't seem the type."

"I know right?" Noah pocketed his father's glasses as the two started down the stairs once more.

"Oh almost forgot," Jason suddenly said. "I'm going to America for three weeks this summer. Going to visit some family in Utah."

"Oh, alright," Noah said somewhat dejectedly.

"I asked," Jason went on. "You can come."

"No I can't," Noah scoffed. "Dad hates America, remember? It's blacked out on our globe. I'm not allowed there."

"It isn't for a month & a half still," Jason said. "Maybe you could work on him?"

"I'll try but I really don't think he'll say yes."

"He can't keep you from travelling wherever you want forever," Jason said. "Sooner or later you will be able to go where you want." They came off the last stair & stood by the door. "It would just be Utah though. Wish we could go to New Mexico & see Roswell but maybe some day."

"I want to see Roswell too," Noah admitted. "Also the Grand Canyon & Mount Rushmore. But ultimately, I'd love to go to New York. I want to see Ground Zero. The Statue of Liberty too!"

"That would be fun. It be great if your Dad would come," Jason said. "Maybe he will learn to like America. Has he ever even set foot outside of Israel?"

"Sure," Noah replied. "Plenty of times."

"Wait, you've been travelling?"

"We went to France & Alaska & a few other places. Just never America."

"Uh Noah? Alaska is America."

"No it isn't," Noah shook his head. "It's part of Canada I think, or its own country."

"No, it is the forty-nineth state of America," Jason pulled out the phone he had gotten as a gift at his bar mitzvah. "Here. See?"

Noah stared at it for a long time. "It isn't blacked out on our globe."

"Maybe your Dad thought the same as you," Jason laughed.

"Maybe."

"I don't remember hearing about you going any where," Jason mused, putting his phone away. "When did you ever get the time to travel?"

"It was when I was younger," Noah shrugged. "Maybe I forgot to mention it? I gotta go."

"Ok, good luck with your Dad," Jason said.

"I'll try," Noah promised as he went outside to the car. He got into the front seat at last & handed over the glasses.

"That's better," Sylar said once he put them on. He drove out to the main road.

"You looked really weird without them yesterday," Noah remarked after a few minutes of silence.

"It was a weird day yesterday."

More silence slipped by. "Dad?"

"Yes Noah?" Sylar said absent-mindedly as he was looking around at the intersection before driving through.

Noah looked up at him. "They're fake."

"What's fake?"

"Your glasses," Noah said. "I compared them to the glasses Jason's grandmother has. Hers as lens in them. Yours is just plain glass."

"Well I don't actually need glasses," Sylar said.

"So why do you wear them?"

"Because before my own abilities showed up, I was blind as a bat," Sylar laughed. "I was an adult when it happened for me but I've been using glasses since I was a kid. I'm just used to them."

Noah waited a moment before asking, "Dad, why do we go to Alaska sometimes?"

"Well Israel is useless for winter," Sylar shrugged, slowing to a stop at a red light. "I brought you there several times so you could experience a proper winter." He drove through when the light changed.

"But you hate America."

Sylar came to a screeching halt. "I do not hate America! Whatever gave you that stupid idea?"

"Oh I don't know," Noah sighed sarcastically. "The fact that it is all blacked out on our globe. Same for Mexico. You said we can't ever go there to either country."

"You're right. We can't."

"So you hate both countries."

"No I don't," Sylar was almost ready to take the glasses off. He continued driving instead. "It's just that both countries, especially America, aren't uh, well, they aren't..." He chanced a glance at Noah while on a straight stretch. "Safe, Noah. For people with abilities. I was wondering if you would have an ability someday & now you do, the most sought after one."

"So why do we go to Alaska then?"

"That's Canadian, I think. Don't really know or care."

"It's the forty-ninth state of America," Noah said. "Look it up."

"What makes you say that?"

"Jason showed me on his phone. It's American Dad. We've been going to America plenty of times & never got hurt."

Sylar pulled off to the side & checked for himself. "Well," He sighed heavily. "It's very remote as compared to the rest of that country. Never mind."

"So, uh, do you think I could, um, go to Utah?"

"N—Utah? What are you, Mormon all of a sudden? Why would you want to go there of all places?"

Noah rolled his eyes shut for a moment. Some days he wanted to shake his father! Frustrating. "No! It's just that Jason is going in the summer to visit some family. He invited me along."

"Oh is that it?" Sylar muttered. "Well, unlike Alaska, Utah is right in the middle of the country so no, you're not going anywhere."

"But Dad!"

"I said no!" Sylar retorted. "Don't make me take the glasses off again. The discussion is over & I don't want to hear another word about it. Understand?" Noah sighed & lay back in his seat, out of sorts. "I said UNDERSTAND?!"

"Yes," Noah snarled. But of course he could never truly understand it. He didn't know he was riding in the car of the worst serial killer the world had ever seen outside of wars, borne out of America from New York itself.

"Now, I thought maybe we could go out & get something to eat this time," Sylar went on, changing subjects. "You had a crazy day yesterday & I had to take care of something last night. So perhaps we could talk a bit more about your ability if you want." He parked the car in front of a restaurant & reached under the seat to pull out a paper bag. "I also got you this. It was in the hospital's gift shop."

Noah pulled out a large swan about the size of a basket ball. "A swan? Whoa thanks! I don't think I have one of those!"

"Neither do I," Sylar glanced around. "Noah, I gotta ask. What do you intend to do with all these plushies in a couple years?"

"Uh leave them exactly where they are?"

"You're going to outgrow them sooner or later."

"These aren't my toys, Dad," Noah half-snapped, offended at the very thought. "It's a collection. That's for life! Like how some get seashells or stamps. I have plushies from every place we visited. I found rare ones in magazines or online & some are extra special depending who gave them to me."

"Sure, sure," Sylar sighed. "Let's see how it goes in a couple years."

"My collection better have doubled by then," Noah gruffly replied. Sylar groaned as he got out & waited for Noah, who delicately placed the pure white swan in the center of his seat before closing the door. "Snapper can watch over the car while we eat."

"Snapper."

"That's the mood I'm in right now," Noah went for the door of the diner.

Sylar rolled his eyes skyward. "It starts. The teen years. If there is a God out there, send help. Aye, yuk!" He narrowly missed having his face swiped by a low hanging web with the beast dead center of it close to the door as he followed Noah inside. "Disgusting creatures," He muttered under breath, letting Noah lead the way to a table by the window. He was glad at least that his kid wasn't a teenage girl which was worse than a boy at this stage. Apparently. So he was told & if Claire was anything to go by, it was probably true. Wait! Now there was an idea! Once they had made their order, Sylar asked, "Ok, what about women? You'll want to get married some day & I doubt she'd want all those plushies. Gals like a good strong man."

"Not interested in women," Noah replied evenly.

"Oh...kay," Sylar was at a loss for a moment. The kid was starting his teen years. Surely he was feeling...things...by now. Must be a late bloomer. "Maybe not now."

"Not now, not ever."

"What do you mean not ever?" Sylar laughed. Noah just shrugged. "Oh come on! I've been banging on girls since I was nine."

"DAAAAAAD!" Noah was absolutely horrified. "That is on a need to know basis! UGH!" He put both hands over his eyes & shook his head.

"You're right," Sylar agreed. "I need it & you know it." 

Noah just glared. "What is wrong with you? Oh my God! Why are you so WEIRD?"

"Oh you walked into that one," Sylar laughed, before adding, "Girls are fun."

"This from the guy who never had any girls."

"Excuse me?" Sylar raised one brow. "How do you think I ended up with you?"

"I mean recently," Noah corrected himself. "In all my thirteen years, I've never seen you even glance at a girl like that."

Sylar sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "That's just because I still miss your mom. Anyway I have you to worry about. I don't have time right now."

"You don't speak of her. There aren't any pictures of her in the house. All I know is that she died but I don't even know how that happened."

"She died in an explosion that would have taken you as well had I not been holding you," Sylar started. "She was very beautiful. But if you want to really know her, look at yourself. She collected plushies too."

"WHAT?" Noah finally smiled.

"Not as many as you & it was only teddy bears, not a variety," said Sylar. "I think she had like, twelve, or something. You like dancing. So did she. A cheerleader in fact. You look a lot like her & you're just as much trouble as she was when she was a kid."

"You knew her that long?" Noah gasped.

"Since she was fifteen," Sylar replied before adding in a low whisper, "Noah, just look in the mirror. It's her looking back."

"Did she," Noah hesitated before asking. "Did she have an ability?"

"Yeah," Sylar looked away. "She had an ability."

"What was it? What could she—"

"Noah," Sylar cut him off. "We will talk more about your mom some day but can we just stop for now? It's enough for me." He continued looking out the window but seeing the past.

Noah watched him for a few moments. "Oh. I think I get it. She died."

"Yeah, she did."

"You said we can't die," Noah started slowly. "Which means..."

"Yeah, something like that."

"You...really love her, still."

"Mhm."

"Dad, what are you going to do in a hundred years? Or a thousand?"

"What?"

"You said we will live forever," Noah reminded him. "So if that's true, then we will both be here a thousand years from now. But not Mom. You plan on going girl-less for all that time?"

"Girl-less? Hm," Sylar scoffed. At the same time, he was amazed at having his own words thrown back at him by his son. He remembered having a similar conversation with Claire about how they were immortal & everyone around them would eventually die. It was the same day he failed miserably at proposing to her & then cutting her father's throat right after. "Oh man, I'm a friggen idiot."

"Dad?"

"Never mind," Sylar held up a hand for a moment. "Let's eat up before it gets cold."

For a while, they ate in silence. But then Noah thought of something else. "Dad?"

"Now what?"

"How do you plan on keeping me out of America for thousands of years?"

"America again? I thought we discussed that matter & closed it?"

"Only of Utah," Noah pointed out. "But in all our lives, how exactly do you plan on stopping me some day in the future?"

"I'll think of it when the future gets here," Sylar said. "Why are you so interested in that country anyway?"

"I hear lots of interesting things about it yet it's one of two places I'm banned from," Noah said. "Of course I am more interested in America & Mexico than usual because of how you act when the topic comes up."

"Oh don't try pinning this on me," Sylar complained. "You're just like your mother."

"Good," Noah gloated.

"Oh thanks for the vote of confidence," Sylar glowered. "Brat."

"Just like Mom."

"God help us all."

"Thought we were atheist?"

"Shut up!" Sylar ordered in frustration. "What attracts you most to America or Mexico?"

"The fact that they're banned."

Sylar rolled his eyes. "Besides that. Noah!"

"When people go on vacation, they often go to Mexico," Noah began. "They say it has some great beaches there. I want to see some of America's famous places, like Roswell, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore," he went on. "Also there is Disneyland & Disneyworld. Isn't everyone supposed to go to those at least once in their life? I want to see the Statue of Liberty & Ground Zero & I'd like to walk around the streets of Manhattan at night & see all the lights like in the pictures."

"Manhattan at night," Sylar wheezed, choking on his coffee. Just like HIM! Those streets were some of his old stalking grounds. How many people died at his hand just in New York City & Manhattan alone? Not to mention Peter would be there waiting for him.

"I'm just a kid right now but you can't hold me back forever," Noah went on. "Seriously, Dad. What do you plan to do with me in a hundred years? A thousand? A MILLION?"

Sylar put his coffee aside before it found a way past the regen to kill him. He looked Noah over. Unlike his mother, Noah seemed to accept the fact that he was immortal. It was strange hearing his own words coming from his son now. "This really isn't the conversation I thought we'd have."

"My ability is regen. I can't die & my pain receptors are dulled. There. We discussed it. Now let's get back to the fact that somewhere down the road, America is waiting."

By now, Sylar was sitting back in his chair, one hand over his face, with his eyes closed. How did it get to this point so fast? He remembered when Noah was just a baby who knew nothing & didn't have such needs. But he knew back then that this moment would eventually come. "Ok," Sylar finally leaned forward. "Ok you do bring up some valid points. You're right. I can't hold on to you forever. I wish I could. I lost your mother & now..."

"Dad, you won't lose me," Noah said. "I'm just going to spread my wings is all."

"I could lose you if you go to some of those places," Sylar whispered softly. He didn't mean for Noah to hear but it just came out.

"What are you talking about?" Noah asked. "Dad, I'll always be around somewhere."

"I know," Sylar's voice was still low. "I know. It's just...Noah. I need some time to think about that. I think some of those places are harmless. We could probably take a whole day for things like a Mexican Beach or the Grand Canyon or one of the Disney parks & come right back here. No one would even know."

"Does it matter if someone knows or not?"

"Oh it matters!" Sylar exclaimed. "I told you, it isn't safe for those with abilities there. We are better off in the Kabbalah."

They sat in silence for a bit, finishing their meal. Noah finally asked, "You said some of the places. Which ones?"

Sylar looked at his son long & hard. "Noah, no matter what, New York is out." 

Noah looked crestfallen. "Why? There are so many things there I—"

"There are other things," Sylar interrupted. "Things that can kill or hurt. You can see the statue from the air & if we take a plane at night, you can see Manhattan in all its glory but you must never set foot in that entire state for at least a couple centuries!"

"Why that long?" Noah asked. "What if something happened & I miss my chance of seeing the place?"

Sylar took the glasses off. "Noah! For that one place you just have to wait! I'm sorry but it isn't feasible right now. Let an entire generation or two die out first. Then perhaps we can go to what's left." After a moment, he put the glasses on. "Then there's the issue with Roswell. I think that should be off the list as well."

"Why? Don't you like aliens?"

"I know you & Jason are very much into that stuff," Sylar began. "But there are plenty of other places for aliens. Roswell is in America in a far out desolate place. It could very well be a base to trap people with abilities instead. So no, we will never go there. Ever! Not even in a couple centuries. You can wait for New York & you will, but I hope by the time you grow up, you will realize just how dangerous having powers can be. Now," He went on with an air of changing the topic. "As for the other places you mentioned, give me some time to work on it."

They finished in silence. Noah held Snapper close for the entire ride back home. Neither spoke until the car pulled into the garage & Sylar turned it off. Noah continued to stare at the dashboard as he finally spoke. "You were there."

"What? Where?"

"You were in New York, weren't you?" Noah looked up at him. "You were there. Something happened to you. That's why you don't want to go back. Isn't it?"

Sylar unfortunately hesitated before starting. "Noah—"

"ISN'T IT?" Noah demanded loudly.

Sylar let the seat belt slide back & opened the door. "This discussion is over."

"You're from New York, aren't you? You're American!"

"ENOUGH!" With one hand, Sylar removed the glasses & with the other, he silenced Noah with his force power. "I said this discussion is over." They stared at each other for a long moment before Sylar released Noah & headed for the house.

It wasn't for several minutes until Noah came in as well. He found Sylar lying back on the couch, Aviv curled up in his lap. "Mom died there, didn't she?" Noah asked. "An explosion. Was she a victim of the Twin Towers?"

"Noah, no," Sylar sat up. "I mean yes, she died there ok? I admit it. But the explosion was at home, nothing to do with the Towers. Now please stop talking about it! I'm warning you!"

"I know enough of it now," Noah turned to head upstairs. "But Dad, if YOU ever need to talk about it, you know you got me, right?"

"Thanks," Sylar groused.

Noah brought Snapper to his bedroom & found a place for the swan on his desk near the window. He stared out over a fantastic view of the Mediterranean as things started to make some semblance of sense now. He was still reeling from the fact that he was the son of an American! But some things still didn't fit. His mother dying in New York explained only that one place.

Noah moved to stretch out on his bed, pushing Willy aside. It was a large four foot long killer whale plush. Noah had even managed to curl the top fin down & sewn it in place to make it look like the whale in the movies. He stared at the ceiling. What was wrong with the rest of America? What was wrong with Mexico? He felt like he was playing a guessing game. Noah was sure it all had to do with his mother. He was on the right path to figuring out 'the black' at last but he had to be careful about it. Things from there obviously still hurt Sylar. He would instantly get defensive if the subject was brought up. He wished he could talk to Jason right now. He had so much to say! But unlike Jason, Noah didn't have his own phone yet. He sat up & wondered if now would be a good time to ask for one. Everyone else in school had their own phones or tablets or whatever. Should he try?

Going downstairs, Noah looked around for his father but couldn't find him anywhere. Aviv was sitting by the door as if expecting it to open soon so Noah knelt down beside the little dog. "Did Dad go out?" Aviv barked once. "Ok you stay here. I'll go look for him."

Keeping the dog trapped inside, Noah eventually got out & glanced around. He saw the side door to the garage standing ajar again & quietly hurried over. He somehow knew his father was in there again, having another episode. But why? He swiftly peeked in. Sure enough, Sylar was kneeling on the floor with head bowed to the cement, his glasses off to the side. Noah could hear him crying softly. He headed back to the house, trying to understand. He put a hand to the doorknob & then it struck him. "You caused that explosion, didn't you? I bet it's your fault mom died. But it's just an accident!" Noah didn't dare ask his father this one. There was a chance he was wrong, but he felt it was an even greater chance he was right. He went back inside & eventually, he & Aviv went to bed.

"Noah!" Sylar burst into his room, making him all but jump out of his bed. Plushies went everywhere. Aviv yipped & darted under the bed. "Come on get up! We're running late for school. Hurry up."

"…Wha…?" Noah hated mornings, especially rushed ones.

"Downstairs. NOW!" Sylar ordered again before disappearing into the hall. He yelled up the stairs at least once a minute until a very disgruntled Noah finally decided to grace the rest of the house with his presence.

"Why are we so late?" Noah complained.

"Never you mind," Sylar shoved a sandwich into Noah's hands. "Eat this on the way. Let's go."

"Dad, have you forgotten you can teleport?" Noah scowled. "I need my beauty sleep you know!"

"It's called routine & we can't risk exposure anyway," Sylar reminded him. "Now shut up & get your royal ass in the car this instant. Aviv! Hush!" The dog had been yapping, sitting close to his empty food bowl but they left, forgetting all about feeding him. Aviv lay down & whined.

It was fortunate that the drive was long. Noah was soon asleep in his seat like he usually tried to do. But a sudden stop shook him wide awake & he wouldn't sleep again for a couple of days.

There was smoke in Haifa. Sylar turned on the radio & both listened in shocked silence to the news describing a school bombing. When the announcer mentioned the name, Noah sat up straight. "That's Jason's school!"

"Audi, call Tirzah Gatineau." Sylar let it ring but there was no answer. He tried again & for Noah's sake, he tried a third time. He looked his son over. "You're not going to school today."

"They said forty-two are dead!" Noah gasped. "What if Jason's one of them?"

"We don't know that for sure," Sylar started driving again. He headed straight for the Gatineau home. "Let's just get to their house as quickly as possible."

"Dad what if they aren't there?"

"Noah," Sylar hushed him. "One thing at a time." He continued driving, slightly speeding. He soon turned into the driveway. The two of them were barely halfway out when Tirzah appeared in the door. "Is he ok?" Sylar asked as they came onto the porch.

"Nehemiah was dropping him off when it happened," Tirzah began. "They're ok. They're coming home right now."

"How could that come here? I thought we were away from the front lines. Haifa was listed as a safe city."

"It's rare here," Tirzah said. "It's why we moved here away from what's been going on in other places. But it does happen."

The three of them looked around as another car came into the driveway. Nehemiah & Jason got out a few moments later. "Half the building is gone," Nehemiah began. "We were lucky we had been among the last to show up. But others...not so much."

The adults watched the two boys console each other for a moment before Tirzah brought them inside, leaving the boys on the front porch. "I'm just glad you're ok," she said as the three of them gathered in the living room to watch the news.

It was early afternoon by the time any of them could tear themselves away. Tirzah disappeared into the kitchen to start on a meal while trying to hide more tears, leaving the two men alone for a moment. They moved outside to the backyard where Noah & Jason had been sitting together, looking up the bombing on Jason's phone for themselves.

"Looks like both our boys have a knack for escaping danger," Nehemiah said. "Gabriel, how's Noah doing after getting run over?"

"I think it's like it never happened for him," Sylar shrugged, accepting the tea Tirzah offered. "Maybe someday it might sink it. I'm just glad Noah didn't lose his best friend." He caught Tirzah's eye as she laughed under breath. "What?"

"Here we go," Nehemiah turned & walked away to sit at the patio table.

"Ever get the feeling they might end up something other than friends?" Tirzah asked Sylar.

Remembering how Noah had blatantly denied liking girls, Sylar suddenly understood. He put his tea aside. "Possibly." Both turned away, snickering. "So Nehemiah won't like it?" Sylar asked once they had composed themselves.

"Oh it's nothing like that," Tirzah replied. "He just thinks I'm imagining it."

"Well I don't think you are," Sylar said. "Noah explicitly told me yesterday he wasn't into girls, not now, not ever. I didn't clue in then as I was too busy teasing him."

"Why am I not surprised?" Tirzah laughed before calling the boys inside with her to help serve the food.

Sylar paused as he thought about something else. Claire had dabbled in lesbianism during college. "Oh you really are like your mother. Why didn't I think of it before? Got the gay gene from her no doubt!" He soon sat down across from Nehemiah.

It was late in the evening by the time Sylar left with Noah. The next few days seemed to run into each other especially for Noah who didn't sleep much for a while & surprised Sylar by already being up & at the table for breakfast on more than one occasion. Noah had gone back to his own school the next day, but things didn't sink in as easily for a while. Neither had heard from Jason or his family in almost two weeks. They had gone to one mass service the next day & had spent time with the various families. It was the longest Noah & Jason had gone without hanging out together.

It wasn't until the third week that Noah saw Jason again & it was at school. "What are you doing here?" Noah asked in surprise after a moment.

"It's my school now," Jason said. "I asked for it & Mom pushed for it. Dad wanted me to go somewhere else so we ganged up on him.

"You're part of this school now?"

"Yup," Jason nodded. "Starting today. I have some extra classes to take to catch up but it's all here now."

Sylar watched the boys enter the school then looked at Tirzah. "You did this, didn't you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea, Gabriel?" Tirzah replied innocently.

Sylar smiled shortly. "Looks like we wont have to deal with pregnant girls any time soon."

"Oh that would be a tragedy," Tirzah teased as she got into her own car & drive away.


	11. Chapter 11

**(11) The Hiding Game**

As summer came ever closer, Noah was seriously considering how to broach the subject of getting his own phone for his birthday to keep contact with Jason while he was in America. He had avoided any more talk about America or Mexico & hadn't seen his father go through any more episodes, as Noah silently referred to the random night visits to the garage.

An opportunity presented itself when Sylar asked Noah what he wanted for his next birthday. Noah hesitated before answering, "A phone. Like everyone else at school has." He almost mentioned wanting to keep in touch with Jason but that was too close to the topic of America.

"I suppose we could do that," Sylar said. "It's been a while since we've had any type of device for you & it can help with school."

Noah just stood there & gaped for a full minute. That had been easy, too easy. He didn't know that his father could block anything he didn't want Noah seeing. "Really? I honestly thought you'd be mad about it or something."

Sylar stared for a long moment before turning away & scoffing under breath, "Teenagers." He put two plates on the table, patted Aviv's head, then sat down with Noah. "So you have a girlfriend now?"

"Dad."

"Well you want a phone," Sylar smiled, teasingly. "Clearly you want some sexting time."

"Aren't parents supposed to be worried about their kids having sex?"

"Oh I'm very worried," Sylar was still picking on him. "Why do you think I'm asking?" He took a bite before adding, "So who is she?"

Noah rolled his eyes shut. "I just want a phone like a normal person. There's no girl."

"Oh sorry," Sylar said. "I meant boyfriend then."

"Dad?" Noah sat back in his chair. "Am I getting a phone for my birthday or not?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be much of a surprise now would it?"

Noah groaned. "I will never be a parent. I can NOT be this annoying!"

Sylar laughed for a long moment before saying, "Oh yes you are. Double! TRIPLE even." Noah poked at his food, sulking while his father laughed at him some more. When he had finally calmed down, he said, "You are so easy. Just so easy. So what do you want the phone for?"

"To look up the nearest clinic where I can get sterilized," Noah snarled through gritted teeth, sending his father into another laughing fit.

"You actually can't do that," Sylar said at last.

"Uh, once I'm eighteen, I'm pretty sure I can do whatever I want with my own body," Noah pointed out. "You wouldn't allow it?"

"Noah, you're talking to someone who let you paint your nails when you saw a girl do that, remember?" Sylar pointed out. "You can be gay or transgender or whatever. It doesn't matter to me. But you can't get a vasectomy."

"So you'd support me in anything but that?"

"It's not me, it's your ability," Sylar said. "You'd be healed before you got off the table."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Noah gasped. "You tried to get a vasectomy? Whoa!"

"No."

"Then how would you know?"

"It wasn't by choice."

"What?"

"When I was younger I got into fights a lot with this one guy," Sylar began. "One of the last times involved a nail gun & four nails. Third one turned me into a eunuch for a moment but I was able to walk away from that fight since I healed."

"Who in the hell?" Noah was gaping once more.

"Oh just some dumbass kid I used to know," Sylar shrugged.

"Why would anyone think to do that?"

"Because he's a freaking idiot," Sylar said. "We never got along & if I ever see him again, I'll kill him." Noah laughed, not realizing Sylar was serious. "But anyway," Sylar went on nonchalantly. "Case in point, it won't work." He then smiled slyly. "So you know what that means right?"

"Can't talk about it 'cause I have to keep my ability a secret?"

"That too," Sylar was still smirking. "It also means don't be silly & wrap your willy."

"DAD!" Noah exclaimed. "Oh I hate you!"

Sylar almost died form laughing so much. When he finally caught his breath, he went on, ignoring Noah's glare. "There's a few things that won't work on you now because of the healing."

"Like what?" Noah demanded with gritted teeth.

Sylar looked Noah over. "Not to give you any ideas but, drugs & alcohol won't work on you."

"They won't?"

"Sorry. I know it's like ninety percent of the whole college experience but, for you, well you'll just have to find some other way of having fun. On the other hand, you can out-drink all your friends yet still be the designated driver."

"What about piercings?"

"That would work," Sylar thought of Claire for a moment, often having earrings. "You have the stud through the wound & it has to stay there while things heal. You might have to leave it in longer than others, but once the scar takes over, it should be fine."

"Can I donate an organ & then do it again for the same organ?"

"Yeah but I wouldn't recommend it," Sylar replied. "People would notice your healing. This is one main reason why we can't allow others to know about you. They could keep you trapped in a room for nothing other than regenerative organ donation."

Noah hesitated before saying, "I think Jason suspects something." Sylar didn't answer so Noah went further. "I mean, they were all there when it happened. Jason knows I died. Yet here I am."

"Noah."

"We've known them our whole lives," Noah continued. "And now that Jason's in my school, in some of the same classes as me, he will notice a lot more. If we told him, we could also tell him to not say anything instead of him finding out some other way & then randomly mentioning it & getting it exposed."

"You really care a lot about Jason, don't you?"

"Sure, he's my best friend."

"Could be more than that."

"Here we go again," Noah moaned.

"Your mother played at lesbianism in college," Sylar said. "You get the gay gene from her."

"My mom was a lesbian?" Noah gasped. "How did she end up with you then?"

"College girls experiment," Sylar shrugged. "A lot. I'd say she was curious mostly, or perhaps bisexual. Anyway, we're born the way we're born so I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up in a similar way."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"No, not yet."

"You have someone in mind?"

"No," Sylar played with his gold band, twisting it around his finger a few times. "The problem is, everyone is mortal. If I get attached to someone, they eventually get old while I am still the same, then they die. You are already stuck on that path with Jason. He is a good friend, maybe end up being a lover but in the end, he is going to get old & die."

"During that time, he will notice I won't age much," Noah pointed out. "I really think I should tell him."

Sylar sighed heavily. Fact was, Noah was right. Unless they moved away & broke off all contact with the Gatineau family, they would eventually figure it out. There was no other place to go to anyway. Leaving would risk exposing Noah to his past life of a serial killer. Besides that, Israel was one of the best countries for technology & maybe some day in a millennia or two, they would know how to stop an exploding planet. It was his only chance to save Claire.

Then there was the matter of the Kabbalah. He had others who knew about him yet accepted him. Just like how Claire was allowed to have Gretchen. Noah had no one yet for he was not old enough to enter the inner ranks & Sylar dreaded the day that Noah could for that would be another risk of exposure to his dark past. Jason didn't know about that past. Jason was all Noah had at the moment besides Sylar.

"Don't talk about it at school," Sylar began. With a dejected look, Noah sat back. "If you want to talk to Jason about it, then it should be here."

"Really?"

"Yes but only here," Sylar reiterated. "Not at school!"

"Thanks Dad!" Noah jumped from his chair & ran out of the dining room.

"Wa—Noah? Where are you going?"

"To call Jason."

"But you haven't finished eating."

"I will after."

"Noah..." Sylar sighed, giving up. "Oh no Aviv, come on. Oh forget it." Aviv had jumped into Noah's chair & took over, finishing what was left.

Despite his eagerness, Noah had to wait three days before he could finally tell Jason anything when they were able to get together early on Friday. Sylar set the boys up on the back porch with a light lunch & left them to it. Aviv ran around the yard a few times before sitting in front of Noah, looking up expectantly. Noah sat on the top step beside Jason & pulled the dog into his lap.

"So, what's going on?" Jason asked. "You've been jumping around all week at school."

"We can't talk about this at school," said Noah. "Dad said I could tell you what happened when I got run over. Here." He handed over his steak knife from his plate. "It's easier if I just show you first, then explain afterwards."

"Oh...kay," Jason gingerly took the knife. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Noah put has hand flat on the step between them, palm up. "Stab me."

"What?" Jason laughed nervously.

"Go on," Noah insisted. "Drop it right down point first into my hand."

"I am not going to do that!"

"Just do it."

"No! You're an idiot. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're right. You won't. Now try to stick it in me. Please?"

"Oh I'll stick it in you alright. Bend over!" Jason snarled.

"Sure," Noah put Aviv aside & started to get up.

"OH MY GOSH! What are you doing?" Jason pulled Noah back down. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Yes," Noah nodded, putting his hand back down. "Go on. Just plunge it in. I can't get hurt. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Try it."

"If you...I mean, you better be telling me the truth. I...I really do not feel comfortable with this." Jason watched Noah laugh at him before slowly putting the point of the knife onto Noah's palm.

"Faster!" Noah shouted at him so loudly, Jason started & shoved the knife in quickly. Noah screamed in pain. Aviv yipped & ran to the opposite end of the yard.

"What? What happened?" Jason gasped. Noah started laughing as he pulled the knife out & held out his palm, perfectly fine. "I thought I...Ugh! I hate you some times." Noah was still laughing. "Seriously. What just happened?"

"Ohhh I got you good!" Noah gasped for air.

"I'm going to murder you if you don't shut up & explain what happened?"

Noah finally settled down. "You can't. I can't get hurt. I can't die."

"Everyone dies."

"Yeah, no." Noah watched Aviv for a moment before explaining. "So it looks like I got this thing from my Dad. I don't even know how old he is but you've seen him. Never changed. No gray hairs. No wrinkles. He doesn't age. I grow up but once I'm an adult my body will just constantly replace itself. Mom had an ability too, but he doesn't like talking about her yet so I don't know what it is." He looked Jason over, waiting for some response. "Are you ok? Why are you looking at me weird?"

"Stuff like this," Jason began slowly. "Abilities. Undying. It actually explains a lot of stuff in the Torah, like Elijah never dies."

"Yes, yeah that's it," Noah agreed. "Dad said abilities have been around for many ages."

"Even in the Christian bible," Jason went on. 'That radical rabbi they like. Maybe he had abilities too."

"Probably," Noah shrugged.

"You said your Dad has more than one ability," Jason thought for a moment. "You & I both like weird things that happen, like aliens. I got you into that."

"You think my Dad's an alien?"

"Hey that might have something to do with it," Jason said. "But I was going to say, there was some other stuff I follow online. There's stuff going on in America."

"Shh!" Noah glanced around. "Keep it down. I don't mention America around Dad any more. It seems to upset him."

Jason took out his phone. "I'll just show you." He began searching for a few moments. "Someone caught this on film somewhere in California. Here look." They watched in silence for about a minute of a video of a man who seemed to be defending himself by throwing jets of ice from his hands. He had a scar across his face. The video ended when he ran out of sight around the corner with a smaller form chasing after him.

Noah stared. "Dad's right! He told me he doesn't want me in America because it's dangerous for people with abilities. That poor guy is being hunted it seems. Wonder who he is?"

"No idea," Jason shrugged. "There are other videos similar to that, with people doing weird things."

"How did you get those videos? Do you know someone else with an ability?"

"Not that I know of," Jason said. "Just go on YouTube."

"YouTube?"

"Yeah, YouTube."

"What's that?"

Jason stared at him. "You don't know what YouTube is?"

"Never heard of it."

Jason mouthed the word ok before saying, "Look when you get your phone, I can set you up with that."

"Alright," Noah stood up. "Are we going to be ok?"

"Oh yeah," Jason answered. "It's a bit weird but like I said, it certainly explains a lot of stuff."

"We can never mention this at school or anywhere else," Noah said.

"Understandable," Jason replied. "I don't want you to end up like that guy we just saw. Your secret's safe with me." He took hold of Noah's hand for a moment. Aviv sat in front of them, looking up before barking loudly.

Noah let go of Jason's hand. "Aviv, what are you yapping at?" Aviv yipped again as Noah picked him up.

"A car's coming up the driveway," Jason pointed out. "Probably Mom. I better get going before Sabbath starts."

Noah opened the door & carried Aviv inside. "I tried talking my Dad into letting me go to Utah with you this summer but he won't let me. But, ya know, I kind of understand why now."

"I've noticed he is quite protective of you, even now that we're older," Jason remarked. "I like your Dad but I was beginning to think he was overbearing too much. But if you have some powers like what's going on in America, he probably just doesn't want you getting kidnapped or something."

"I want to go to America, Jason," Noah replied softly. "I just need to know more first. I will find a way some day."

Both entered the front parlor where they heard voices. Sylar & Tirzah were talking together, waiting for Jason to appear. Sylar looked straight at Noah the moment he entered, silently appraising him. Jason patted Aviv's head before heading for his mother.

"There you are," Tirzah passed a hand through her son's hair, ignoring the glare. "Come on! It's getting late. We go straight to the synagogue."

Sylar waited until the car was back on the main road before going serious as he closed the door. "So," he rounded on Noah. "How did that go?"

"He's ok with it," Noah started. "Stuff like this even shows up in his Torah. Like Elijah."

"Abilities have been around for a long time," Sylar headed to the kitchen & began putting dishes away.

Noah hesitated for a moment before adding, "Dad, I can see why you don't want me in America now."

"Good," Sylar picked up a plate from the table.

"Literally see it," Noah said. He explained the video Jason showed him, not mentioning it was from America. "Some guy with a scar," he finished. Sylar dropped the plate. It shattered on the floor. "Uh Dad?"

Sylar attempted to physically pick up a broken piece, only to nearly slice his finger off. He jumped up quickly, swearing loudly as he sucked on the cut before it healed. "Dammit," He snarled under breath, using his force power to just pick up all the pieces at once. He flung them forward towards the garbage can where half of them missed going in as Sylar was too preoccupied to think clearly. He took his glasses off for a moment & rubbed his brow.

"Dad?"

"WHAT?" Sylar snapped before thinking. Noah jumped & took a step back. Sylar sighed heavily. "Wait. I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you. Mind's elsewhere. Never mind." He put his glasses on again. "See? All better."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Sylar groaned. "Rough day in the Kabbalah. Shlomo...he, well, he won't be with us much longer."

"Oh," Noah watched his father make another attempt at what was left of the broken plate. Once he managed to get rid of it, Sylar turned to the sink, his back to his son. He glared out the window. He knew exactly who that scar-faced man was: his most hated enemy in his life. Noah moved closer. "Dad, are you sure there is nothing we can do with our healing power?"

"No Noah, it won't work," Sylar answered, grateful for the small distraction. "Regen makes cells grow & regenerate at a fast past. It would just make his tumor swell & his death will be even more painful than what it is now."

"How much time does he have left?"

"Probably just a couple of months," Sylar sighed. "He is a stubborn old man. He won't die easily."

Noah eventually went outside to play with Aviv, leaving Sylar alone in the house. Sylar went to his bedroom & closed the door. He put the glasses aside on the nightstand, flipped himself onto the bed & glared at the ceiling for a few moments before using his phone to search for that video & watched it. "So Peter, I'm not the only one you've pissed off." He watched it again, almost delighted that someone out there was causing Peter problems. Then suddenly, he became more interested in the second person that showed up for a moment in the end. He could only see the back. Sylar paused on the scene & stared at it. A feminine form with dark hair. He sat bolt right up. "It can't be!" But there was no denying it. He knew her shape, having been intimate with her for over two years. "Claire what the hell are you doing?" He put the phone aside. What went wrong between Peter & Claire? She had no business trying to kill Peter either. Peter was his to kill, no one else's.

Sylar stared at the phone for a long moment before getting up to pace around. For the first time in years, he suddenly wanted to go back. He wanted to know what had happened. He wanted to kill Peter & before somebody else stole his prize. He needed blood again. He stared out the window towards the Mediterranean for almost half an hour before walking back to the nightstand. He looked at the phone, but then his eyes drifted sideways to a photo of Noah & Aviv. The whole reason for leaving that life behind was to give Noah a better one, away from the fighting, away from the Company & most importantly, away from Claire who wouldn't have Noah for several millennia from now. "Sorry Claire," Sylar picked up his phone & erased the video from his search. "But I can't help you." He put the glasses back on & then pocketed the phone, turning his back once more on the old life as he headed back downstairs.

Though he didn't watch it again, that video was often on Sylar's mind. He tried focusing on other things. Noah's birthday was in a few days & Sylar worked on the new phone, making sure he blocked everything he didn't want Noah seeing, including YouTube. But when he was alone, usually at night after Noah had gone to bed, he found he couldn't stop thinking of her. What had happened to her?

Noah couldn't wait to show off his very own phone & before long, he had exchanged numbers with Jason while at school so they could keep in touch when Jason went to America. But soon Noah realized that his phone wasn't quite the same. Jason had gone to YouTube on his own phone & expected Noah to do the same so they could look at videos. Noah's phone wouldn't open the app. however.

Jason tried it as well but eventually handed it back. "Noah, who gave you this thing?"

"Who do you think? My Dad."

"That's what I was afraid of," Jason sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Noah, I think your Dad did something to it."

"Like what?"

"You know how a TV can have a parental control on it?"

"Yeah, you can block channels under a password so kids won't see something they shouldn't."

"I think your Dad did something like that with your phone. YouTube is blocked & I can't undo it. I don't know his password."

"Dad tampered with my phone?" Noah gasped.

"I think so," Jason held up his own phone again. "Let's test that theory. Are you on facebook? I want to add you."

"Never heard of that."

"Of course you didn't," Jason replied, not surprised. "I bet it's blocked on your phone." He took Noah's back but after a few minutes, he gave up. "As I thought."

"Why would he do that?" Noah asked, slightly confused. "He has no right. Does he?"

Jason looked him over. "Noah, you're under age. A minor. So yes he does. I get it. You saw what's happening in America with powers. He just doesn't want you mixed up with that."

"I guess so," Noah replied dejectedly. "But I'm starting to realize that my life is far more sheltered & controlled than I thought. I'm older now & I want to know what's out there before I venture anywhere. Wouldn't it be better for me to able to study stuff like this first?"

"I have an idea," Jason began. "We should go to the library after school."

Once classes were done for the day, the two of them headed for the school library which would stay open for a while longer. Jason sat down at one of the computers & brought up the facebook page. He moved his chair over so Noah could sit down next to him. "Let's get you set up."

It took a bit longer than that for Noah needed an email address first. Jason had the clever idea of setting that up on Noah's phone so they could find one that wasn't blocked. That part was relatively easily for it didn't seem like any email website had been blocked. Then they turned to the computer & Jason helped Noah set up a facebook account & added him.

"Now I can send you some video's," Jason began. "You will just have to watch them elsewhere but at least you will have them. What?" Noah was grinning like an idiot. "What are you scheming?"

Noah looked Jason in the eye. "Let's see if Dad's on facebook."

Jason burst out laughing, having to smother it in his arm so he wouldn't disturb the library. "I like how you think. If he is you will have to block him before he sees you on this."

"Noah?"

Jason & Noah both gasped sharply. Jason closed off the page without signing off, planning to do that later.

"Over here, Dad," Noah got up from his chair.

"I've been waiting outside for you for almost fifteen minutes," Sylar came over. He cast a slightly worried look over the computer. "What are you guys doing?"

"Jason wanted to show me a video."

Sylar eyed Noah. He didn't lie but something was off. "Really? A video of what?"

"I don't know actually," Noah shrugged. "You interrupted us."

"Just some aliens & stuff like that," Jason shrugged it off.

Sylar looked between the two. Noah was innocent but Jason had lied. "I see. Well there's no time for that now. Your Mom's been looking for you as well."

"Oh," Jason got up quickly. "Right. I forgot. See you tomorrow Noah."

It was a silent walk to the car. Noah felt guilty but couldn't understand why what he did was wrong. They both got into the car & Sylar drove out into the highway. Noah still wasn't speaking so Sylar asked, "So, what was that video really going to be about?"

"I don't know," Noah repeated. "I didn't get a chance since you showed up."

While stopped at a light, Sylar looked at Noah & smiled quickly. Noah still wasn't lying it seemed. "Perhaps I showed up just on time then," Sylar said. "Jason lied about that video."

"How would you know?"

"It's one of my abilities to detect lies."

"That explains a lot," Noah grumbled. "Why would he do that?"

"Why indeed," Sylar reiterated. "I don't want you watching any videos from him."

"Why? Worried it might be porn?"

"Now those are some videos you probably should watch," Sylar laughed. "Maybe it would help to get your ass moving in on some lovely females."

"Dad."

"Or males."

"DAD!"

Sylar pulled over so he could laugh without having to worry about driving safety. "One of these days, boy." He moved back onto the road.

"Dad, sometimes, just sometimes now, I absolutely hate you," Noah glared. "You know that, right?"

"Good," Sylar was still snickering. Noah rolled his eyes so hard, he nearly saw the back of his head.

For a while, the matter was dropped. Neither Jason or Noah dared go back to the library for a while in fear of getting caught again. Jason eventually came up with the idea that they should wait until he had left for America. Then Noah could go alone to the library in the city to watch any videos. It might not be as suspicious-looking that way.

Noah thought it might be better that way but worried about not having someone to look out for him while he was on a computer. Furthermore, if he went to the large library in the city, it was only for half an hour at a time & usually Sylar was nearby. Noah only went once but didn't dare go near a computer with his father around. He only used the books related to school topics in preparation for the next grade. He had to come up with a way to get rid of his father but couldn't see any possibility.

One day while they were in Haifa, Noah couldn't believe his luck when his father received a call from someone of the Kabbalah & had to leave Noah for a while. He went straight to the library & put his phone on the side close to the computer. His father had said he would call him when he could pick him up to go home, so that took care of having to look over his shoulder all the time. For the first time in his life, Noah checked his facebook page to find several links Jason had left him of various people around the world with abilities.

Sylar drove to the Gordon Estate. It was only about half an hour away from where Noah was. Shlomo's home nurse was waiting by the door & led him upstairs. The door to Shlomo's room opened & Ariel came out, carrying a folder in her arms. She almost glared at Sylar before hanging her head & hurrying downstairs.

"My work is done here," the nurse said. "He wants to speak to you alone." She turned & followed Ariel.

Sylar slowly entered Shlomo's bedroom to find the old rabbi lying in bed, looking weaker than ever. He closed the door behind him as he approached. "That thing's finally getting to you, isn't it?"

Shlomo opened his eyes & glanced around. "Gabriel, I was beginning to think you would be too late."

"I almost wondered if I'd be allowed in," Sylar said. "Ariel didn't look too happy. But I guess she has no reason to be."

"She has a particular reason for being mad at the moment," Shlomo pushed himself up a bit. He started coughing. Sylar helped him to lay back against the pillows."She's a good woman," Shlomo went on after a moment, looking Sylar over. "I need you to do something for me but you're not going to like it."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Sylar stepped back a few times. "No. I don't."

"Gabriel, I'm in a lot of pain & I'm pretty much dead anyway," Shlomo began. "Now I want to talk to you about something. What you saw in the future, you want to fix that, but if you do it wrong, you could erase your whole life here & maybe even Noah's."

"How so?"

"What made you come back here with Noah?" Shlomo said.

"I saw Earth start to explode. Noah couldn't breathe."

"Exactly," Shlomo said. "You saw it happen. That means you have to let it start to drive your futuristic self back here. Keep the timeline straight."

"But I need to save Claire."

"You need to figure out how to keep the pieces of the planet together," Shlomo said. "Let it start to happen & then work on what will happen next or you will never see your Claire again. The worst power any one could have is probably time travel. Start blindly moving around & you could step on things ought not to be stepped on."

"The butterflies," Sylar shook his head. "Didn't think about those."

"Yes the butterflies," Shlomo agreed.

"You're right, five millennia is not a lot of time," Sylar said.

"No it isn't," Shlomo agreed. "Now you have one of the best powers to help you decipher the possible outcomes, but it isn't enough to just envision it."

"I'd hardly call the Aptitude the best," Sylar said.

"The way you use it now is the way it should have always been," Shlomo said. "Now, I have a few abilities that can help you. I want you to take them."

"Fine," Sylar stepped upto the bed once more. "Give me your hand. I can copy them now like how Peter does it."

"Yes but you understand better if you look at them first," Shlomo said.

Sylar turned away. "I can not kill you for your powers! You said I would never kill for abilities again, yet you ask me this?"

"You are not murdering me," Shlomo said. "You are just putting me out of my misery. The abilities are a gift to you. A bonus."

"Rabbi!"

"Gabriel, even if I didn't die of cancer, I will die within a few years anyway," Shlomo said. "I will not be there with you five thousand years from now. Just you & your son. Hopefully Claire & Peter."

"Or just Claire," Sylar muttered.

"Gabriel?" Shlomo paused before saying. "You need Peter. He is part of the solution."

"I want that man dead!"

"Then you sentence your wife to die!" Shlomo shot back. "Your son. Yourself."

Sylar pulled away. "I can not believe what I am hearing!"

"You will when you take my abilities."

"I don't want them."

"Oh you Grays are so bloody stubborn!" Shlomo snapped. "Get over here." He yanked Sylar back, using his own ability. "Do you want your wife back or not?"

"Of course I do."

"Then let me help you." Shlomo turned away to cough some more. "Now," He gasped in a breath. "You take my powers, then go straight to Ariel. This is all in my will. She has the papers. You will not be branded a murderer for this request. Let Ariel help you."

"What if I get stuck with a lust for blood again?" Sylar asked. "I could kill our whole clan."

"You won't," Shlomo answered. "I know. It's one of my abilities. One you desperately need. Gabriel, you have to trust me. Now, use that hypnosis ability on me to put me to sleep & then take what you need. Then let Ariel take care of you."

By now, Sylar was siting on the edge of the bed, resting his forehead in one hand. He moved only his eyes to look at the old rabbi, sensing a double meaning. "Yet everyone calls me insane," He finally whispered.

"I think it's a mimic problem," Shlomo managed a short laugh. "We're all crazy to some degree. All these powers banging around in our heads."

"Now is not the time for jokes," Sylar muttered, managing a small smile in spite of himself.

"Or maybe it's the best time," Shlomo corrected as he lay back for the last time. "If anyone can save this planet, it will be the four of you."

Sylar clasped Shlomo's hand. "Good bye old friend." He stood back & used the hypnosis ability he had taken from the nightstalker the day they figured out that the beasts were human. Shlomo fell into a deep sleep, never to wake up again. Sylar hesitated a moment, watching the slow breathing, hearing the heart he was about to stop. He raised a hand & began cutting through the forehead. He quickly touched the brain, taking every ability a moment before the old rabbi breathed his last. He slowly stood up & stepped away from the body, then looked around the room. He ended up seeing himself in a long mirror on the opposite wall. He was surprised to see that he still wore his glasses.

Sylar used force to get the door open & slowly went down to the parlor where Ariel was waiting. She saw him enter, looked down at his hands to see blood on his fingers & turned away from him for a moment.

"Apparently he wanted me to do this."

"I know," Ariel said. "I hate him for putting you in that position again & I hate you for doing it."

"Ariel, I'm sorry I—"

"Don't be," Ariel cut him off. "I wish it didn't have to be this way but it's what he wanted. I'm just glad he isn't in pain any more."

Sylar moved into the kitchen to wash his hands. "First time I kill someone without enjoying it."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Ariel stated.

"I suppose so."

Ariel passed him a hand towel to dry off. "You wanted to kill me once." Sylar froze mid-drying of his hands & stared at her. She just laughed. "Shlomo told me."

"Of course he did," Sylar groaned.

"You've left that old life far behind," Ariel went on. "No one from America here to mess you up."

"I still want to kill Peter," Sylar said. "But regrettably, I need him alive for later."

"I've read about you & Petrelli," Ariel admitted. "You two were constantly fighting & you killed his brother."

"Yeah," Sylar sighed. "Wrong Petrelli. Really wish it was Peter this whole time & now I'm going to be stuck with him."

Ariel looked him over. "You really hate him that much?"

Sylar put the towel aside & followed her back into the parlor. "I guess I didn't leave all of it behind."

As they sat down across from each other in armchairs, Ariel asked, "So why do you need him alive then?"

"Something to do with the future," Sylar answered. "Apparently he is going to help me keep this planet together five thousand years from now."

Ariel looked away & whispered, "To be able to live so long." She sighed & looked up at Sylar. "You think you can keep up the hate for so long?"

"The hate goes both ways," Sylar began. "I murdered his brother. I don't see how he could ever get over that."

"If you didn't murder his brother, wouldn't he still have died eventually anyway?"

"Well, yes. All Nathan could do was fly. He wasn't a mimic like Peter or I am."

"So one way or the other, Peter would have to deal with his brother dying," Ariel said. "Sooner or later, he will have to let it go."

"That's what I told Claire but she threw it back in my face," Sylar said. "I think only my son & I seem to realize what it means to have the power of regen."

"She's that cheerleader you went after, right?"

"Yes. She hates me right now & I don't blame her" Sylar replied.

"Do you think that she will get over it some day?"

"She's going to be my wife in five thousand years, so yes."

Ariel stared at him. "THAT'S HER?"

"She's immortal like I am," Sylar shrugged. "I guess she just has to learn that the hard way."

"Time travel is a very fickle power," Ariel mused. "You're playing with fire."

"Why do you think I'm hiding out here in Israel, away from them all?"

"Shlomo predicted you would end up here a long time ago," said Ariel. "Just after you disappeared from the Kirby Plaza. Everyone thought you were dead except him. All he said was that you would come here someday. A lot of us expected you to come right here at that moment, but you didn't."

"I have that ability now," Sylar said. "Seeing various major events of the future. It only picks up large events that would affect a lot of people but doesn't say when such things will happen, just that they will."

Ariel looked down at the folder in her hands for a moment, then held it out. "This is for you. It's from him."

Sylar opened it to find Shlomo's will & two letters, one for the court & one for Sylar. He laid the will aside & skimmed through the letter for the court. "This states that his death was upon request, not a murder & there are more details in his will about it."

"He made sure you will stay safe," Ariel said.

"I know," Sylar pocketed his own letter for later & took up the will. He read through it in silence before handing it back to Ariel. "Did I read that right?" He asked in a shocked whisper.

Ariel read it over. "He wants you to take his place as leader of our group. He thinks one who can mimic powers like he did would do well."

"Fine, but I'm not religious!" Sylar exclaimed. "He better not expect me to lead everyone in prayer for Shabbot or whatever."

Ariel burst out laughing for a full minute. "It isn't that bad!" She finally said. "I'm pretty sure we can handle that without you but you are welcome to join of course."

"No thank you."

Ariel shook her head at him. "You don't need that to take care of the school."

"Good," Sylar said. "I can't even do this very well anyway." He held up both hands & tried to spread his fingers for the Aaronic blessing. "Oh, well I can sort of do it on one hand."

"That's ok, I can just call you Spock," Ariel teased, earning a glare. "Where do you think Leonard Nimoy got it from?"

"Don't you dare call me Spock or I will kill you," Sylar tried to threaten but both ended up laughing.

"You kind of look like him," Ariel gasped for air.

"Ok now you're pushing it," Sylar shook his head, wiping his eyes. "If I look like Spock then you look like Uhura."

"Oh please! My hair is way too thick for that."

"That's easily fixable," Sylar put the will & court letter back in the folder. He looked down the hall towards the stairs. "Jews want to be buried within twenty four hours of dying, right?"

Ariel sighed heavily. "It's our tradition. His son is on the way to take care of him & the rest of the family is preparing the funeral arrangements. We can go to that later today."

"I will leave Noah with Tirzah for the night perhaps," Sylar pulled out his phone. After a few moments, he hung up. "She is picking him up."

Both glanced around as someone entered the house. The newcomer looked the pair over before locking eyes with Sylar. "I know who you are. My father told me all about you." Sylar cast a nervous look towards Ariel. "America is in an uproar looking for you," the man went on. "You would do well to stay away from that place."

"I have no intention of going back," Sylar replied.

"Good," the man said. "Ever since that girl jumped off the Ferris wheel several years ago, the whole country seems to have gone crazy with what they call abilities."

"Girl?" Sylar whispered mostly to himself, having an odd feeling of who she might be. Who else could survive jumping off such a device?

"If only they kept their magic hidden like what we do here in Israel," the man went on. "The Kabbalah really is the only right way to handle such power." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself." He came forward, hand held out. "David Gordon."

"I figured you were his son," Sylar shook hands for a moment. "Did this girl you mention happen to be blonde & small?"

"Why yes."

"Great," Sylar grumbled. "Of all people, I didn't think it would be her who would betray people with abilities, especially concerning who her father is. I doubt Noah Bennet is liking this."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it," David shrugged. "Besides, not our country, not our problem. My Dad spoke very highly of you by the way, despite your history. He said you made a complete turn around."

"I hope so," Sylar said solemnly. "I have a son to worry about." He looked David over. "You don't have an ability, yet you know about them?"

"All Jews know about the Kabbalah," David laughed. "It's integral to our faith & for those capable of the mysticism that some call magic or abilities, it has been a place of refuge. We don't hide from each other, just from outsiders. If you aren't Jewish, you most likely won't be able to learn much unless you have an ability. You're proof of that."

"I see."

"Well," David moved towards the stairs. "I should take care of my father now. Will I see either of you later this afternoon?"

"Yes we'll be there," Ariel answered. After David went upstairs, followed by two others, Ariel turned to Sylar. "Do you want to go out for something to eat for now?"

Sylar kept his eyes on the stairs but only heard low voices talking. They weren't even shocked at what was waiting for them in that bedroom. Shlomo really had explained all. He finally directed his attention to Ariel. "Alright. Sounds like a good idea."

That excursion extended out for the entire day. They were soon wandering around Haifa after eating a light lunch. Sylar was rather subdued. He had just killed again after many years of being clean, but it wasn't the same as a murder or getting rid of nightstalkers. He & Ariel eventually got some ice cream for dessert from a shoppe they passed on their way down another street. Sylar watched the people go by, sensing several with abilities. A few he recognized from his group of the Kabbalah. But one thing was missing this time. A need for blood. He leaned against a lamp post while looking out over a parking lot.

"I used to do this all the time in New York," He suddenly said. "Tracking others down like animals. A lot of people died." He finished his ice cream before saying, "It's been a very long time since I killed anyone."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Old & tired despite the regen."

"I hate that he asked you to finish him."

"He trusted me," Sylar said. "Why though I will never know." He turned away from the street to look Ariel in the eye. "What about you? He seemed rather close to you as well. Like the two of us were his favorites."

"He was my grandfather."

Sylar stared at her. "I didn't know that, which is unusual for me."

"Most people don't know," Ariel said. "He had a daughter before his son. He named her Hadassah, Queen Esther's Hebrew name. She got pregnant with me while in school. Fifteen at the time. When I was about ten, she went to Australia but then, we never saw her again. Completely disappeared. Shlomo always suspected foul play so he sent me away to a boarding school so as not to be associated with his family in case some one would come after me. He was always worried I would be a target of whatever happened."

"Then I showed up all these years later," Sylar said.

"He liked you," Ariel said. "I think he knew he would ask you to do this for him when he first started seeing you with that ability of his."

"I just killed your grandfather today," Sylar began. "Why are you here with me? You're hanging around with the most dangerous person in the world right now."

"You constantly think of the people your power killed, but do you never think of one man who also get dragged down & had his life destroyed when that thing showed up? Gabriel Gray is a victim as well," Ariel put a hand on his arm for a moment. "You are not that New York stalker any more, Gabriel. You have your life back again. A son now."

"Yet at the same time my life is in about five thousand pieces," Sylar countered. "I have a very long wait before I can approach my wife again. Try that now, she might actually succeed in killing me." He had to laugh in spite of it all. "Ohh how she hates me right now."

"Yeah I can imagine why now that I know who she is," Ariel laughed.

"That poor teenage girl is probably more messed up than I am," Sylar said. "Most of that being my fault." He paused before adding, "I guess she isn't a teenager any more. She was already fifteen when I took her power. Yeah, she must be almost thirty years old now."

"She'll be much older some day for you," Ariel said.

"That's a whole other lifetime ahead." Sylar checked his phone for the time. "We should get going. The funeral will start soon."

It was strange not only going to a funeral but also for someone that he had literally just killed. Stranger still was the fact that those who knew him seemed to accept the fact he was there. Sylar was left alone, but for Ariel close to him, for the most part with receiving not much more than a passing glance. He was just another person at the ceremony.

Once over, Ariel returned to Jerusalem. Sylar went home in the evening & was at last able to read the letter left to him. Aviv jumped into his lap the moment he sat down so Sylar used the dog's head as a table to put the letter on for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

**(12) The Hoops & Loopholes Of Life**

Sylar put the letter aside & looked over Aviv, snoring away in his lap. "Yeah I'd like to do that too, now." Aviv's answer was an ear twitch. "Alright," He moved the dog to the floor, earning a low grumble as the dog woke up. "Oh shut up," Sylar ordered as he headed upstairs. "Why don't we go to bed?" He paused at the top of the stairs to watch Aviv come up, stopping three times on his way. "Now it's happening to you, is it?" He picked Aviv up. "Starting to get old aren't you? Well you still have a few good years left. Best not to tell Noah just yet."

Once they were settled in bed with Aviv curled up on the pillow (despite being put at the foot of the bed twice before Sylar gave up trying), Sylar turned on his phone. He had been holding off but his curiosity finally won out. He looked up the video of the girl jumping from a Ferris wheel & surviving. He watched it twice before putting the phone on the nightstand & turning off the light. "So is that what happened all those years ago, Claire? You betray us all but Peter didn't like that, did he?" He stared at the darkened ceiling for a long moment. "Foolish girl." He tried turning over to sleep but his head landed on Aviv. The dog barked loudly in his ear. "Should have listened to me," Sylar complained, lying on his back once more.

After another hour of not sleeping, he got up once more. Aviv hopped off the bed & followed Sylar down stairs. They ended up in the kitchen. Aviv sat down, one ear up, as he waited expectantly for a treat. Sylar tossed a cookie onto the floor before making some coffee but he didn't drink it as he stared at the dark window.

Fact was, he agreed with Peter & he didn't like that. Claire should not have betrayed people with powers like that, but siding with Peter was also hard for Sylar. He looked down at Aviv. "I have to wait over five thousand years to kill him apparently & now I'm agreeing with him over my own wife." Aviv whined. "Yeah, my sentiments exactly." Sylar went back to the living room, coffee left forgotten on the counter. Aviv jumped up beside him on the couch. Sylar held the dog up. "You know I killed someone today? I haven't done that since Noah was born. My next kill was supposed to be Peter."

He put Aviv aside, then looked at the folded letter he had left on the table. He picked it up again. Aviv looked up at him. "It's about Noah," Sylar told the dog. "Shlomo was worried Noah might find out about me. So am I. It's my biggest fear right now. He said sometimes it's better to find out from someone he knows instead of being influenced by other sources." He petted Aviv for a moment. "I get what he's saying but how does he expect me to do that? What a topic to have over a nice Sabbath lunch, hmm? Shabbot Shalom Noah. By the way, I'm the greatest serial killer in the world. I've killed almost a hundred people, if not more & enjoyed every last murder. Yeah, that will go over real well!" He leaned against the back of the couch with Aviv's head in his lap. "Now Noah's growing up. He wants to go to New York of all places. I can't let that happen any time soon even if he does find out about me. Peter is there. So is Claire. Then there's Jason. He sees these videos of people with abilities. If he keeps digging like that, he might find me."

Sylar mulled over that dilemma for a few minutes, coming to a conclusion Noah wouldn't like. "I have to bust them up," he finally spoke again. "It'll be hard. They go to the same school & I can't explain it to Jason's family either. I just have to keep Noah busy so he can't hang out as much with Jason." His Aptitude kicked in & Sylar devised a plan to keep the boys apart. "Jason is gone to America for six weeks. Before he comes back, I will take you & Noah away for the rest of the summer. We can go to the Six Flags park in Mexico. Free Willy was filmed there. Maybe do both Disney Parks. If we keep moving, people won't notice me. I could keep the boys apart all summer without making it look like that. I just have to figure out what to do during school days." Aviv barked twice. "I know. I KNOW! It's a lot of work. But we'll fix it." Aviv climbed up Sylar's chest & shoved his fluffy head under Sylar's chin. The pair of them eventually fell asleep.

After Tirzah dropped Noah off the next afternoon, Sylar sat Noah down in the living room & explained part of his plan for the summer, leaving out the fact he was now silently trying to keep him away from Jason. "We would be back about four days before you go back to school," He finished. "It is a lot of moving around but I thought it best to keep out of sight of certain, uh, company, we don't want to get mixed up with."

"Well Dad," Noah finally spoke. "I know this must be very strange for you since you have been avoiding both countries for a long time."

"I have you to worry about," Sylar said. "But if we do this, I have a lot of conditions. The Kabbalah can't protect us out there. Don't mention your ability to any body. Always keep your passport on you but don't get caught in a bad situation either. We will be teleporting around. Not flying in. That gives us a lot more time to see a few places in the summer we have left."

"So we're basically illegal in both countries without citizenship or Visas right?"

"Pretty much."

"I don't have any plans to run into police any time soon," Noah said as he stood up. He was pushed back down by the force power.

"I'm not finished."

"What else is there?" Noah asked curiously.

"People hunt others with abilities in America," Sylar began. "If I tell you to do something, you must do it no matter how strange it sounds. I say run, you run. You leave me behind if I tell you to. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. I've dodged that sort more than once."

"Do you really think it will come to that?"

"Most likely not, considering the places we are going to," Sylar began. "I'm just thinking worst case scenarios. People like us always have to plan for the worst & hope for the best."

"I suppose so," Noah replied. "So where are all the places we are going?"

Sylar looked Noah over for a long moment. "We are NOT going to New York."

"I kind of figured that out on my own," Noah muttered.

"Good," Sylar sighed before adding, "Alright, let's go to bed."

"WHAT? WHY?" Noah gasped. "It's only two in the afternoon!"

"Not in California it isn't," Sylar pointed out. "We will sleep until about seven in the evening our time, then beam over. I was thinking of jumping between countries as well. Do Disneyland in America, California, then we can go to Mexico, then back again. We keep it unpredictable like that & we should be fine."

"I can't sleep this early," Noah moaned as he got up.

"Time zones are a pain in the ass," Sylar aknowledged. "But there is no point going over right now as it is still very early in the morning there. Let's just try."

While Noah went to his own room & managed to at least doze on & off, Sylar however remained wide awake, waiting for California to wake up. He dreaded going back, partly because of a high risk of Noah finding out something he didn't want Noah to know any time soon, but also because he felt like a run-away returning home after a long absence, apart from trips to Alaska in which all the while he had thought it was Canadian. America was his native country even if things hadn't worked out well the first time.

He had already taken care of things online, using Noah's name for anything such as tickets for any where they went, to the hotel, which was no where near any place he & Noah would actually go to. He did not use Noah's middle names, only the first & last. Gray was very common, even Bennet but Petrelli was more unusual & associated with his past & put all the names together would be too much of a coincidence. So he went with a simple Noah Gray for such things. They would stay in Sacramento & simply beam over to wherever Noah wanted.

A few minutes before it was time to leave, Sylar shifted to look like Noah & teleported over to the hotel to sign in. He stood silently on the ground before the hotel, looking around to make sure no one he knew was there. He located any cameras & discreetly used his force power to turn them away from their room as an added precaution. At last, he returned to Israel for Noah & brought him to California along with Aviv.

The first thing Noah did when they went outside was put his hand down on the ground. "I can't believe I'm touching 'the black'!" He remarked as he stood up. He looked back at Sylar who seemed to be hiding under the roof of the hotel's entrance. "Are you ok Dad?"

"For now," Sylar finally moved forward to join his son on the lawn.

From then on, Sylar felt himself constantly looking over his shoulder as he moved Noah & Aviv around. He brought Noah to several places he had wanted to see, including the Grand Canyon & Mount Rushmore. Aviv had plenty of fun on long sandy beaches in California, Mexico & Florida. Some of the places they had visited were areas Sylar had never been but he didn't let his guard down for a moment. He even resorted to wearing a cap with the visor pulled down a bit to hide his face from street cameras.

Noah, on the other hand, was having the time of his life as he finally got to be at some of the places he had only ever read about. He all but overloaded his phone with pictures & videos of every place they visited to show Jason later. He was extra surprised at seeing the same aquarium used for the Free Willy movie. Sylar had been silent about it & just sprung it on him. Noah's greatest desire though, was still New York City but he did not mention it, knowing what the answer would be. He did not know that any time his father touched him, Sylar could feel it anyway with the empathy ability.

Through it all though, Noah noticed that his father seemed to hide even when they were in plain sight. He was often hanging back from Noah, keeping his son in sight but from under a roof or near a place he could just disappear into. Sometimes it seemed he would use Aviv as a cover, holding the dog up close to his face. They had even switched hotels several times throughout their travels, twice being in Mexican hotels.

Noah was beginning to realize he was missing something. As far as he knew, they were avoiding New York mostly because his mother died there & Sylar was still upset at her loss. He knew they had to be careful with abilities in America & Mexico. He had seen it first hand in some videos Jason sent him. But by now, he was starting to feel like something else was going on but he didn't dare ask, assuming it had to do with his mother again. He hoped that someday soon, his father would finally talk about her & he was prepared to wait. Surely after doing this trip through 'the black', it might help to open the topic at last. Noah could not be more wrong if he tried but he had no clue as to the real reason Sylar was dodging these two countries.

Sylar made sure they didn't stay in one spot for more than three days at a time & if they returned to the same area, or a place close to where they had been, it wouldn't be for at least a week before going back. He kept the visits sporadic & unpredictable, even jumping between both countries back & forth a few times. He also preferred early hours (much to Noah's annoyance) or late hours & if they had to be out in the middle of the day, he always somehow managed to blend into the crowd so well, even Noah was unable to find him sometimes (not knowing his father could shape shift as man or beast & two times he held 'Aviv' was actually his father in disguise while the real Aviv was off sniffing at things unseen).

The last 'night' before going home was back in Mexico. They had gone to bed early to help get used to the timezone changes. Sylar waited until it was almost time to leave before teleporting to the café down the road where free internet service was offered. It was closed for the night but that didn't deter him as he was able to get in by simply beaming over. He could easily shut down the security system using their own computer. He than sat silently for a moment, staring at the screen before doing a search on himself. He had wanted to use a local computer to see if it would allow such a thing.

Sure enough, it was all still there. Mass serial killer from New York. By now, the cat was out of the bag about abilities so the entire list of his known kills was readily available to anyone. Not a single one was missed either & Sylar was sure Noah Bennet had a hand in that. It still stated Elle Bishop as another victim of his, location of body still unknown, but that couldn't be helped as most people didn't know what actually went on between them. Elle's body was the only one he had hid out of his entire killing spree. He had destroyed it completely so it would never be found. But he didn't consider her a murder of his, more of an assisted suicide & he should have been beside her but by then, he was unable to do that.

Sylar looked away from the screen. It was almost hard to believe that this was all him. It was foreign to him yet at the same time, he couldn't deny that he missed it a little. It would come back, his own murderous father had said. But his own father never had the proper training the Kabbalah had offered Sylar. He didn't know of his grandson either. Sylar had hid Noah from everyone. Turning back to the screen to turn it all off, he noticed something else added to his profile.

"Reported to be lost five millennia into the future, banished by Peter Petrelli," Sylar read aloud to himself before laughing out loud for a full minute. "Oh Peter, you clueless boy! I bet you just love reaping the glory for that. But I'm right here & you're next!" He continued reading. "There have been reports of seeing the mass murderer known as Gabriel 'Sylar' Gray all over the world but as of yet, none have been confirmed. Since there is always a possibility of return, efforts have been put in place to contain this threat should the need arise." He turned it off & stood up. "I'd love to test these efforts but I have bigger priorities right now. Just wait for those five millennia, Peter. I will get you."

Sylar returned to the hotel & went to Noah's bedside. As he looked the boy over in the dimness before waking him in a few minutes, he realized something. Noah wouldn't exist if Peter hadn't tossed him into the future. Noah was Peter's doing. "Oh great," Sylar moaned softly. "I'm putting your Great-uncle into a good light again." He rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself, before poking Noah awake.

Once Noah was over his disorientation, they finally returned to Israel & Noah had a few days to get his sleep pattern back to normal in time for school. Sylar now worried about the problem of keeping the boys separate whenever possible without getting caught.

But thoughts of Jason were temporarily driven from his mind upon return to his Kabbalah group, not as just another member any more, but as their new leader. Everything Shlomo had left to him had been waiting in the mail when they had returned. Sylar was now responsible for their group as well as overseeing the school & university Shlomo had owned. Sylar himself didn't gain ownership as the university went to Shlomo's son while Ariel took over the school for young children, but he did now have access to records of who enrolled.

Tirzah was still there which meant continuous close contact with the Gatineau family but on the other hand, he did learn that Jason was now picking up extra studies to become a rabbi which would keep him busy & out of Sylar's hair for the time being. Sylar now took over the large office that was the entirety of the top floor of the school where he had formerly met Shlomo.

It also put him in close quarters with Ariel who now owned the school. Sylar was silently glad for her presence. Though he kept it friendly with anyone in the group, he only really considered Tirzah's family & Ariel to be his real friends which was odd for him who would rarely make friends with anyone. Ariel ended up being his greatest support when he realized what it all meant to take over Shlomo's position.

He was the one now to find others to join. He had to find people with abilities & extend an invitation. It brought up memories of the old days when he hunted people for abilities. But now, he wasn't looking for a kill. Now he was like Noah Bennet, bringing people in. It was not the same way, but the magnitude of Shlomo's work suddenly hit Sylar like a ton of bricks, causing an unusual panic to rise up in him & it was all Ariel could do to calm him down.

"Oh my God, I'm the new Noah Bennet!" Sylar began pacing.

Ariel tried to follow him. "This is nothing like what he did."

"Look for people with abilities," Sylar stated. "Something I did back in the day & they wound up dead. Bring them in. That's what he would do & half of them still wound up dead, some of them I killed myself."

"Gabriel! Calm down!"

Sylar glared at her. "Telling a retired serial killer to calm down is about as bad as telling a woman to calm down." He threw Shlomo's documents at her. "Did he not realize what this would do to me? The position he put me in? I am Sylar! I used to do this all the time & I even worked with Bennet for a short time."

"Why do you think he made you take over?" Ariel tried again. "You've been there. You know what to do but more importantly, what NOT to do. This is nothing like what Bennet did! We don't force people into the Kabbalah remember? They get one invitation. They don't have to come!"

"Does it make any difference?" Sylar snarled. "I am the one still looking for them. What if I come out of retirement & start killing them again? What if Noah finds out? Either of the Noahs in my life? I don't know which is worse. If Bennet finds out, he will come here & then find my son & destroy him like what he did to me. If my son finds out, he could run away. End up in America & still end up with Noah Bennet!"

"We don't play the what if game here," Ariel grabbed Sylar with both hands & held him steady so he wouldn't pace any more. "We don't bag & tag. We don't force our way into anyone's life. We don't make someone come here & anyone is free to leave AND!" She hung on even though Sylar made a feeble attempt at pulling away. "We don't kill anyone just for the hell of it! So calm the frik down & let me help you or so help me God!"

Sylar actually gulped. "Eesh! What is it with you Jewish women putting fear into men's hearts?"

Ariel puffed herself up. "We know how to handle our men."

"Yikes."

"Now," Ariel finally let him go. "Shut up & let me help you."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Don't you Ma'am me, Mr. Gray," Ariel ordered as she walked away. She muttered "Ben zonah!" under breath.

"I heard that!"

"Good." Ariel sat down in his chair & looked up at him expectantly. "Well sit your sorry ass down already." Sylar did so, albeit rather sheepishly. He was half-afraid Ariel might call Tirzah up to help her yell at him & he already knew how scary Tirzah could be when she got mad & started yelling in Hebrew. "Now," Ariel went on all business-like. "Why don't we start with this young lady right here?" She handed over a paper.

Sylar took it. "Jessica Havok. Telapathic. Brown eyes but pulsing blue when using her ability." He looked at Ariel. "How do you know her?"

"I am her kvaterin," Ariel said. "For all intents & purposes, you Christianized folks would say Godmother. Her whole family was killed during an attack on Jerusalem but they had left me with legal guardianship of her. They were Christians themselves & so they just used the word Godparent. But we Jews do have a similar idea."

"Is this why you keep going to Jerusalem all the time?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you bring her here to Haifa?" Sylar asked. "It's a lot safer here, well in a matter of speaking."

"I'm trying," Ariel replied. "It's her job. She is a game designer. We are trying to get a transfer over to here so she can move. She is quite interested in the Kabbalah already & I'd like to bring her in all the way. We just need a job position open for her. Most are in Tel Aviv but we want to establish a place here & she would manage it."

"So what's the hold up?"

"It takes funding for th—"

"Get me some metal," Sylar interrupted. "Any steel rod will do. I have the Midas touch remember?"

Ariel thought for a moment. "Oh yes. Bob Bishop's power."

"Yeah," Sylar nodded. "Let's not let him die in vain shall we?" After a short pause, he said, "What?"

Ariel was just staring at him. "I like how you said that. See? You are turning your life around. Every single day." She got up & moved away from the desk. "You can have your chair back now."

"Thanks," Sylar scoffed but after she left, he caught himself smirking. "Stop that! She's mortal." He reminded himself.

Though it only took a few minutes to 'create' the money needed, it still took time to set up the new gaming center & it would be almost two months before they could show it to Jessica. In the meantime, Sylar was able to relax a bit before trying to locate others with powers. He waited for Jessica's arrival & would do one invite at a time.

Everything was going fine & he was slowly settling down until a few days before he & Ariel would go to Jerusalem to fetch Jessica. He had never set foot in that city due to the constant bombings but wasn't too worried since he couldn't exactly die that way anyway. But then Noah handed him a paper-slip he had gotten from school earlier that week that he had somehow forgotten about until the last minute which turned Sylar's life upside-down.

There was to be a parent-teacher function at the school on Sunday. That was fine. There was at least two a year. But this time, a name of a teacher jumped out at him from the list. "Um, Noah? How long has your science teacher been at the school?"

"She just started & will be here until mid-January," Noah said.

"You're just telling me this now? It's Sabbath in less than an hour & there isn't much I can do on such sort notice."

"I just forgot," Noah shrugged. "Besides, there isn't much to do except show up."

Oh but there was a lot this time! Sylar tried not to glare at Noah. It wasn't exactly his fault. "So why this substitute teacher?"

"Mr. Guzman has gone back to Australia for a bit due to a family emergency. Why?"

"Oh no reason," Sylar shrugged it off. "Just didn't know about Guzman is all."

"Ok," Noah picked up Aviv. "I'm going to take him out to the beach."

Sylar stood in the living room, watching Noah & Aviv head down to the sand. Once he was sure they'd be gone for a while, he threw his glasses aside & all but turned the entire house inside out looking for his phone. He finally found it on the stand next to his bed (like exactly where it should be) & dived for it at the same time as using his power to call it to his hand. It ended up smacking him on the nose. Sylar lay sprawled out over his bed as he rubbed his face with one hand, then called Ariel.

"Hi Gabriel, what's up?"

"Um, I'm really sorry about this," Sylar began. "I know Sabbath is starting soon but it's kind of an emergency."

"What happened? Is Noah alright?"

"Yeah, until Sunday if we don't fix this."

"Fix what?"

"Parent-teacher thing," Sylar began. "There's a substitute for his science class until mid-January." He hesitated before saying, "Maya Herrera."

"Ok," Ariel replied slowly.

"Um," Sylar cast around for words. "I uh might have maybe technically uh," he shut up, realizing he was rambling.

"Did you have sex with her during your wild days & she found out you used to kill people?"

Sylar just glared at the wall. "YES!" He finally ground out. "It's worse than that. I might have possibly...stabbedherbrothertodeath." He finished in a hurried voice.

"Can you repeat that, slowly in a legible language?"

"Uh I sort of um, you know, her brother," Sylar tried again. "I stabbed him."

"Oh." Ariel heaved a sigh. "Did he die?"

"Ohh yeah," Sylar replied. "I had to use a knife since I lost my powers to that Shanti virus going around. He died of multiple stab wounds. Totally my fault & his sister found out & now she's here & I'm royally screwed come Sun—"

"GABRIEL!"

"WHAT?"

"Breathe."

Sylar barely paused for breath but managed to say in a slower voice, "Please tell me we know someone who can erase memories? Preferably non-Jewish so the Sabbath won't matter to them?"

"I could just call René."

Sylar pushed himself up so that he was kneeling on his bed as he let that sink in. "René. As in the Haitian René?"

"Yeah."

Sylar remained silent for almost a minute. "Wait...what?"

"Who do you think was Shlomo's spy on the immortals running about, including you, back then?"

More shocked silence. "So you mean...René knows I'm back in the proper timeline? Where I am? About my son?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't he?"

"Damn that cheerleader's power!" Sylar exclaimed. "I really need to pass out right now." He lay back. "Ohh. Not doing good!"

"You're fine," Ariel replied.

"No wonder Shlomo knew about me all along," Sylar went on. "René! The Haitian. Claire's guardian!"

"The one & only," Ariel had the nerve to laugh at him. "But if you want me to call him before Sabbath starts, you better hang up now."

"Right," Sylar gasped. "I'm just...going to...I'm going to go pass out somewhere. Shabbot Shalom Ariel."

"Shabbot Shalom."

Sylar tossed the phone aside & stared at the ceiling, still processing that. After almost twenty minutes went by, he called her back. "Hi. Me again."

"Ohh now you're pushing it," Ariel teased. "Sabbath starts in a few seconds. What other murders of yours are coming back to haunt you now?"

"Funny," Sylar half-snapped. "Does this mean, René answers to me now?"

"Yep."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Someone just did when it became relevant, like me, right now."

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?"

"Mhm," Ariel shamelessly admitted. "Payback for interrupting the starting hour of the Sabbath."

"Uh huh," Sylar groaned. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Gabriel," Ariel sing-songed out before hanging up."Oh that man," She groaned, as she sent a text out. "René, problem at Noah Gray's school. Maya Herrera needs a memory wipe by this Sunday of a certain friend of ours." She put the phone away & went about finishing setting the table, placing the braided bread in the middle. There was no point in waiting for the phone since the Haitian was about as mute in cyber-space as he was in real life. He rarely spoke. Ever.

Sylar could not be more restless on the hallowed day of rest if he tried. His mind was still processing the fact that someone from his past knew about him. He had never interacted with the Haitian personally, but knew enough about him through other people who were now basically his family. He was well aware that he had been the temporary replacement of René during his time working with Noah Bennet. He had seen René through the prison window. That had been about as close as he had ever gotten to the mysterious tall dark man that hovered around Claire.

As there had been no word yet from Ariel, he still fretted over Sunday. If Maya saw him & remembered him, it would all be over. Sylar leaned forward on the railing, watching Noah & Aviv playing on the beach. An idea was slowly coming to him. He waited for sundown before going inside. Watching Noah from the window, he called Ariel once more.

"Three times in one day?" Ariel teased. "Miss me?"

"Not at all," Sylar replied with a short laugh. "Where is René right now?"

"I don't know," said Ariel. "You know how he is, rarely talks or texts back. But he always seems to get the job done so I would think it is safe for you tomorrow."

"How do you contact him?"

"I just send him a text," Ariel said. "Shlomo did the same thing & never had a problem with him."

"Since I took over for Shlomo, you said René now works for me, right?"

"Yes. His number should be in one of those files Shlomo left to you," Ariel suggested. After a long moment of silence, she asked, "Gabriel, is something wrong?"

"No, not really," Sylar replied absent-mindedly. "Just thinking about how Noah Bennet & Angela both used René to look out for Claire."

"You want to do that for Noah."

"Yeah," Sylar admitted. "Does René know who Noah's mother is?"

"I don't know."

After another long moment Sylar said, "I need to meet him. Can you bring him to the office soon?"

"Alright," Ariel said. "Do you want me to go to the school ahead of you & check Maya out?"

"That's a good idea," Sylar agreed. "We can't be too safe where it concerns Noah."

"Have you ever thought of telling him yourself?" asked Ariel.

"Every damn day of my life," Sylar stated. "But I always come back to the fact that I gave that life up. I'm never going back. Not even to kill Peter. I have to take care of Noah & then this whole planet five millennia from now."

"You really think you can keep that secret from him for five thousand years?"

"I'm hoping it will just fade into history," Sylar said. "Five thousand years from now, as far as I know, no one remembered me, not even Claire."

"Life always finds a loophole," Ariel remarked. "I'll meet you at the school tomorrow."

Sylar hung up just in time as Noah had come in with Aviv now that it was total darkness outside. They shared a look, Sylar feeling rather guilty but trying not to show it. "Is something wrong?" Noah finally asked.

"Hmm? Oh. No. Everything's good."

"You look like the cat that just swallowed the canary."

"It's all good," Sylar repeated more forcefully.

"Is this about tomorrow?" Noah tried. "I've never seen you so jumpy about a parent-teacher meet up before."

"I have a lot on my mind," Sylar said. "Taking over for Shlomo is a lot of work. I'll be fine."

Noah got down to pet Aviv & pulled something out of the dog's tawny fur. He held it out to Sylar. "Have a feather."

"Noah," Sylar grumbled. "Very funny." He pushed past his son, ignoring the proffered feather. Noah just laughed.

That night, Sylar did not sleep. He lay back on the bed in the darkness, waiting for sleep to come but he couldn't stop thinking of Maya, a woman he had slept with, a woman he had conned & whose brother he had murdered.

Then there was René, a man who had infiltrated the Bennet-Petrelli side of the family, being used by one side against the other & all in the supposed best interests of Claire. Now Sylar planned to use him for the Gray part of that family, all for the best for Noah. Why were all these ghosts from his past suddenly popping up & all at the same time?


	13. Chapter 13

**(13) The Ghosts Of The Past**

In the early hours of the morning, Sylar still hadn't managed any sleep. He eventually got up & decided to get breakfast ready. Aviv barely lifted his head to watch him pass before rolling over on the other side to go back to sleep. Sylar rolled his eyes. Everyone in the house was sleeping soundly, not knowing of the worries he had to deal with. It was another hour before he went back upstairs & had his daily morning hustle & fight to get Noah out of bed. He passed by his own room & caught sight of his reflection in the mirror on the wall above the nightstand. He went to stand before it for a moment, before suddenly taking the glasses off & putting them aside. As Gabriel, he was more shy & nerdy but today he needed the cold logic of Sylar.

Noah was his usual grouchy morning self until he was fully awake in the car halfway to school. It was then he noticed something different about his father. "Where are you glasses?"

"Oh, I must have forgotten them," Sylar shrugged it off. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble." He was the one in trouble this time.

Ariel was at the school the moment it was opened. She passed herself off as a random parent until she located the one teacher she was looking for. She casually spoke with Maya for a few moments, mentioning Noah (but not Gray) who was the son of her friend Gabriel. Neither name seemed to affect Maya's memory, so Ariel soon went outside to wait for Sylar. She got into the car the moment Noah got out. Sylar looked at her in mild surprise.

"What? The meeting isn't until this afternoon," Ariel said. "I'm not a parent so there's no point in me sticking around right now. We should go see René for now."

Sylar continued to gaze at her. "Ariel, I am not Gabriel right now."

Too late, she realized he had no glasses. Ariel stared at the dashboard. "Are you crazy? What if Noah finds out?"

"I'm holding on, barely."

Ariel sat back in the seat & put the belt on. She knew better than to bolt. It could push Sylar over the edge & encourage him to hunt her down. "You are really playing with fire right now."

"Are you staying?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll stay."

"Ok," Sylar turned the car onto the highway.

It was a silent drive to the primary school. Ariel remained calm & silent, not wanting to trigger him in any way. She got out first when they arrived & led the way upstairs to Shlomo's old office where René was already waiting. She went to a chair on one side & sat down just in time before dropping in it by surprise.

René spoke. "So, we meet at last Mr. Sylar."

"Yes," Sylar slowly stalked around him. "Do you know who Noah's mother is?"

"Noah's daughter."

Ariel smothered a fit of giggles with one hand. Even Sylar managed a smile. "That did sound a bit wrong."

"Two different Noahs," René said. "But Claire is once again at the center of everything."

Sylar leaned back against the desk. "When will Noah be born?"

"In the future from when you came."

Ariel gasped as Sylar suddenly moved forward & grabbed René's arm. He held on as both men stared each other down. "When I first came here, Shlomo could block my powers, even my lust for blood. I now know where he got that from. If I am to take his place, I need your powers & in turn, a piece of you will live on in me five thousand years from now." He released the Haitian & pulled away. He had siphoned the powers the same way Peter usually did. René was still alive for now. Ariel watched closely but at the same time, she wondered what she would do if Sylar went for a kill. "You know quite enough about my son," Sylar went on. "How would you like to stay & watch over him like how you once watched over Claire when she was a child?" René didn't answer so Sylar continued. "Noah can never know about my past. I left that for him. He & a friend of his are a little too curious for their own good. That needs to stop." He went behind the desk & opened the top drawer. He held up a folder. "In here is a list of places Noah is allowed & some where he is not. Neither are he & Jason to continue looking into abilities. Jason has a bad habit of looking for super-powered people & showing them to Noah. He keeps digging, he will find me. Do not let that happen."

"You wish me to watch over your son?"

"Did you take care of Maya?"

"She no longer remembers you."

"Then you are already on that path," Sylar held the folder out. René took it & left without another word. Sylar put both hands on the top of the desk & leaned over, slightly panting.

"Are you ok?" Ariel asked.

"The Hunger," Sylar shook his head. "It's getting too strong. Ariel run! NOW! RUN!"

"No!"

"I will kill you if you stay!"

"It's the other way around," Ariel went to him. "You want to hunt. I'll definitely die if I run. So I'm not going anywhere."

"You're either very brave or very foolish!"

"I'm actually quite terrified right now," Ariel whispered as she moved behind the desk, pushed Sylar back & grabbed him by the shoulders. "We need to distract you."

"How?" Sylar gasped. As if unbidden, his hands were suddenly on her hips & began moving upwards. He was going to push her away. Throw her against the wall & kill her.

"I don't know!" Ariel gasped as panic rose up in her as fast as Sylar's hands slid up her sides. She had moments to live if she didn't come up with something quick. "Wait. What kind of birds bring babies?"

"What the hell kind of question is that at a time like this?" His hands paused on her rib cage, Sylar could feel her pounding heart.

"JUST ANSWER IT!"

"Storks."

"What kind of birds prevent them?"

"I don't know!"

"Swallows!"

Sylar did manage to push her away & caught her eye. "Swallows?"

Ariel spluttered before laughing. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to die laughing."

Sylar turned away, pressing one hand to his mouth. "What the HELL is wrong with you?"

"I don't know!" Ariel wheezed, leaning back against the desk. "It's a good thing I decided to come isn't it?"

"Whoa! Easy!" Sylar dropped into the chair, still laughing. "Ow!"

Ariel had punched his arm. "Not like that you idiot!"

"Oh my God!" Sylar gasped for air. As both slowly caught their breath, he said. "No one's ever tried stopping me like that before, with that kind of a joke."

"It worked didn't it?"

"For now," Sylar said. "But this day is only half over & the worst is yet to come. What I did to that woman. I know she no longer remembers, but I do."

"Why don't I go with you?" Ariel offered.

Sylar looked up at her. "You really want to?"

"We have Noah to think about," Ariel said. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you. You're like a freaking werewolf."

"Werewolf?"

"Yeah. Gabriel the man, Sylar the mutt."

"Gee thanks."

Ariel just laughed. "You're a bit like Remus."

"Who?"

Ariel glared at him. "Remus. Haven't you ever read Harry Potter?"

"Oh, no I never did get into it," Sylar said. Ariel rolled her eyes & headed for the stairs. As Sylar followed, he added, "I've heard plenty about it. Even Claire had a dog with a Harry Potter-esque name. Mr. Muggles. I'm just more of a—"

Ariel turned sharply to look up at him, standing a few steps below him. "You say Twilight, I will be the one killing you."

"Noted!" Sylar let her go down a few steps before moving again to allow some space between them. "I was going to say Lord Of The Rings if that's alright."

"Yeah that one's ok," Ariel said.

"Just ok?"

"I like it, but prefer Harry Potter," Ariel opened the door to go outside. "My wand is 9 inch Hawthorn with a unicorn hair, my patronus is a horse, my animagus is a white tigress & my house is Slytherin, which I think would be your house as well."

"I literally have no clue what any of that means."

"Just go with it."

"Ok then," Sylar knew better than to piss off a Jewish woman. They headed back to Noah's school in relative silence for most of the drive. When they were almost there, Sylar suddenly spoke again. "Ariel, why are you here with me?"

"We're going to Noah's school together."

"Shlomo said I would never kill for abilities again," Sylar began. "But he never said I would never kill again. I almost killed you today."

"But you didn't," Ariel replied stubbornly. "That wasn't really you, that's your power."

Sylar parked the car & both got out without another word. Ariel was slightly ahead & reached the school doors first & held them open, waiting for him. Sylar stopped outside, looking up at the building. "One of my biggest mistakes was done at a school like this," He began in a low voice. "I don't kill children. I terrorized Molly Walker but I never had plans to kill her. I wanted her to work for me, to find others like me. But then I heard about an undying cheerleader. I thought it would be ok. No one was supposed to die that night. But it wasn't Claire. I grabbed the wrong girl! Cut her head open. I expected her to heal so I was moving too fast to notice until it was too late. Claire was the one I had thrown aside & the one I was holding died in my hands. That is an open wound on my soul to this day, if there is such a thing as a soul."

"I would think that is proof that there is," Ariel said. "I didn't know you had an age limit. That isn't in your profile."

"I took things from others who, I told myself, didn't deserve them, but children are innocent," Sylar said. "That's how I justified myself. I don't even kill pregnant women, because of the child involved. Missed out on two abilities because of that."

Ariel moved away from the doors, closer to him. "That sounds like a man trying to get this terrifying force no one warned him about under control."

"Key word: trying," Sylar said. "But I failed every single time I tried to give it up."

"Not every time," Ariel said in a low tone. "Noah is proof of that."

"Yeah I guess he is," Sylar replied. He pressed one palm to his forehead. "I had always wanted to settle down, have a family. Been planning that since I was in high school. Then this THING..." He let his hand fall. "It showed up. Ruined everything." He looked at Ariel, almost in desperation. "I didn't ask for any of this."

Ariel gently put a hand on his arm for a moment. "I know," She all but whispered. "You're finding that person again. You have a son, a dog, a new home & life with all that. All you can do is move forward now."

"I have to force myself to do that every day, every hour."

"Just keep thinking of Noah."

"Noah."

"Yes, & swallows."

Sylar snickered. "Where'd you come up with that anyway?"

"I have two boy-crazed young nieces," Ariel said. "Well, through adoption. They're from the family that took me in when Shlomo hid me."

"So there's plenty more where that came from," Sylar said.

"Ohh yeah," Ariel raised a hand to push back his bangs. "You don't have your glasses to hold them back. There, that's better." She turned away & entered the school. *

Sylar stayed where he was, letting the doors close. After a few moments, he shook his head. "She's mortal. Forget it." He finally went inside.

The large auditorium was at the other end of the long hall. Sylar entered & found Ariel close to Noah. Off to the side was René. Then in his peripheral vision, he saw Maya at the other end of the wide room. Sylar quickly backed out into the hall once more.

Ariel found him a few minutes later, still in the hall, sitting on the floor against the wall. She crouched down in front of him. "Aren't you coming in? Noah's looking for you."

"I saw her."

"So don't go around her."

"I saw her & all I can think of is how I still managed to kill someone even without my powers & enjoyed it."

"Gabriel."

"Sylar!" He snapped at her. "Did you not hear what I said? I killed her brother without my powers. I had the Shanti virus then. My head was clear. I still killed somebody. Plunged a knife into that body. Felt his blood spread on my hands. I still wanted more so I cut him again. Now what does that say about me, hmm?"

"That you had a very dark past," Ariel said.

Sylar slowly pushed himself up. When they were both standing, he said. "I'm just a killer. I don't need powers for murder. It just makes things easier. I was born a killer."

"That's not true!"

"Then explain why I still killed without my abilities?"

"Because by then you had already started that life & it was all you knew at the moment," Ariel tried. "You said it yourself, you didn't ask for this. Gabriel Gray is yet another victim of an out of control power. It took a long time to fix that. Shlomo had the same power but he was in the Kabbalah. He wanted you to have that chance to turn your life around & you took it. You accepted that invitation. You're not just a killer. You show remorse. You're a broken man who's just gotten his life together again. You have a son now. You're one of the best fathers I've ever seen & I'm not the only one who says that. Not to mention the fact that in a few eons, the fate of the entire planet rests w...with...you." She gasped slightly as Sylar had quickly moved towards her so that they were nose to nose. She froze, not knowing what he was planning to do. Kill her? Kiss her?

"I really am grateful for the faith your people have put in me," Sylar spoke softly. "But sometimes I wonder if you picked the wrong man." At that, he pushed by her & entered the auditorium once more.

Ariel stood rooted to the spot for a while. "What was that about?" She finally asked herself as she stared at a case of school trophies without really seeing them. She put a hand to her head. "Girl, he's married. Get over it!" She continued to stare at the glass case. All the same, he was also technically widowed for about five thousand years, wasn't he? It was all too confusing. Suddenly the hallway exploded in brilliant light.

Sylar could see the light through the doorway. Most people thought it was a ray of sun striking the glass but he knew it was her. He turned away as Noah grabbed him. "Dad, where'd you go off to?"

"Uh, I...I was busy, dealing with something," Sylar replied.

"That sun sure is bright," Noah blinked a few times.

"It's Ariel," Sylar said under breath. "That's her power."

"Why did she change inside?" Noah shook his head a few times. "Come on. You should meet Maya. She's really nice."

Sylar couldn't think of any excuse fast enough & he certainly wasn't going to say the real reason why going any where near her was a bad idea so the next moment, he found himself face to face with her once more. "Uh hi," Sylar said quickly. Noah watched him in amusement.

"Hi, you're Noah's father?"

It took a long moment to respond. "Um yes, of course. Gabriel."

"I'm Maya Herrera," Maya held out a hand. "Well not for long. I'll be getting married when I go back home."

"Congratulations," Sylar quickly shook her hand. "You've been a teacher for a long time?"

"About seven years," Maya said. "My fiancé is a scientist so I ended up learning a lot, then went for my degree to become a part time teacher. This will be my last term for a while."

"Is your fiancé a teacher as well?"

"He is a professor in India," Maya replied. Sylar had a sinking feeling what that meant & she confirmed it. "Dr. Mohinder Suresh."

Sylar inwardly groaned. Suresh would remember just fine. "Well good luck with your new life." He shook hands with her once more before pulling away.

Noah followed him. "What is going on? I've never seen you so awkward before."

"Noah?"

"Yeah Dad?"

Sylar turned to glare at him. "Shut up."

Noah burst out laughing. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've got a crush."

Sylar clapped his hand onto Noah's shoulder & steered him towards the buffet table. "Perhaps you didn't hear me. Shut up!" He left his (totally correct) son by the food & made a beeline for René. "She's with Mohinder again. He remembers me just fine." René merely nodded & left immediately. Sylar headed up the grand stands & sat down near the top to keep an eye on his son.

The light soon went back to normal. Ariel found him sitting by himself & took up a place beside him. "I saw René leave."

"Maya's marrying Mohinder Suresh," Sylar said. In a lower voice he added. "I killed his father."

"So you sent René to wipe his memory of you."

"If Maya starts talking, Mohinder will know," Sylar said. "So I either wipe him or kill him & I have Noah to think about, so wipe it is. Mohinder could ruin everything. Oh God, if Noah finds out..." He looked away & closed his eyes.

"That's three people in one day who knew you from before," Ariel looked down on Noah for a bit. "Maya's been wiped. Mohinder's about to have the same thing happen to him. René knows about you but he stays quiet. But somewhere somebody is going to pop up unexpectedly. What if you don't have René handy to take care of things before it's too late?"

"You don't think I worry about that?" Sylar all but snapped.

"Somewhere down the line, Noah will find out one way or the other."

"I can't tell him," Sylar gasped in a panic whisper. "He'll hate me!"

Ariel stood up. "He'll hate you more if he finds out from someone else. How many people have you killed?" She let it hang for a moment. "There are too many ghosts, Gabriel. One of them will get through."

"You don't..." Sylar slammed his fist down on the part of the bench beside him, cracking the wood, making Ariel jump. "You don't know how hard it is to look at that boy & pretend to have a normal life for his sake. Am I just supposed to ruin that?"

"Gabriel."

"I can't!" Sylar said. He stood up & glared at her. In a voice loud enough for others nearby to hear, he went on threateningly. "I can't, you hear me?" Ariel's eyes slowly filled with tears. She let out a breath, turned on her heel & left. "...Ariel..." He barely murmured her name as she walked out.

Noah climbed up the stands to him. He watched the door close as Ariel went into the hall & left, then looked at his father. "Two women in one day? Dad, what's wrong?"

Sylar glared at Noah, then smacked the top of his son's head. Ignoring the laugh, he said, "Nothing. Never mind. I'll be right back." He hurried down to the main floor & into the hall. Once by himself, he teleported to the beach back home. "Didn't you punish me enough when you killed Noah?" He shouted at the sky. "I thought giving him back to me meant I was forgiven! I don't understand why you're dredging up the ghosts of my past now? That affects my birth power when I can't understand something. It makes me ornery & dangerous." He fell to his knees, on the sand. "He's too much like his mother. Telling him would drive him away. He'd hate me like she does right now. Am I to lose my only son one way or the other, my ONLY anchor to what little sanity I have left?" He looked at the ocean rolling in. The waves began crashing over his lap. He stood up & turned to face the house, but moved his eyes upwards once more. "Do you want me to believe in you again, or not? Seriously make up my friggen mind!" He went into the house to get some dry clothes, then beamed back to the school to find Noah.

"Did you catch up to her?" Noah asked.

"I—wh—uh, no," Sylar decided to keep it simple. He wasn't going after her in the first place but better to let Noah believe that. "It's only a half day because of this right? Shall we go home?" Noah agreed & a few minutes later, both were in the car & homeward bound.

Sylar didn't see Ariel again until a few days later when it was time to get Jessica Havok. Ariel showed up at the last minute & cast him one cursory look before turning away. He let her be until it was time to beam over to Jerusalem. Ariel only held his hand to be brought along, then let go & went to find Jessica.

They were staying over night as Jessica finished packing with Ariel's help. Jessica would have to go to Haifa the long way since she was literally moving over. Sylar stood on the balcony of Jessica's top floor flat, looking out over one of the world's most famous city. He could hear the bombs in the distance & as night fell, he could sometimes see a flash of them. People on both sides were dying in droves out there & not in a way Sylar liked. This was different. This was all out warfare. He had never been so close to the front lines before.

As an American, he had grown up constantly hearing about wars & rumours of wars. Like every last one of his fellow countrymen, he had been glued to the screen for nearly a day when the Towers went down...& he had been in New York at the time. He could hear the rumbles as both suddenly crashed & shook the very floor he had stood on at the time. But that didn't compare to this. It was different being this close to such action. It put him on edge.

He glanced around, hearing the door slide open. Ariel stood there. "Jessica wanted me to tell you she set up the extra bedroom for you down the hall."

"Alright, thanks."

"Goodnight," Ariel turned to leave but she couldn't move.

Sylar dragged her onto the balcony with his force power. He made her face him. "Sorry about the other day. It was a really bad day for me."

Ariel didn't answer him until she felt the force leave her. "You put your glasses back on."

"Mhm."

Ariel glared at him. "Don't ever do that again you absolute camel!"

Sylar blinked a few times at the insult. "Alright, I said I was sorry." An awkward silence past. "Was that seriously the best insult you could come up with?"

"No, but the other one wasn't very lady like."

"Ahh, I see." Sylar suddenly saw better than a moment ago from a particularly bright bomb flash. Both turned to the railing to watch for a bit. "It's a good thing we are getting Jessica out of here," Sylar went on after a while. "I'm amazed anyone wants to live here. Why doesn't everyone just leave?"

"If we all leave, they win."

"So? At least no one dies like this."

"This is our land."

Sylar watched another flash fade. "No offense but, who says & don't say God? They claim God says it's their land. Jews make the same claim. So there has to be something else."

"It is our land," Ariel insisted. "We were here first. We built it up & yes, the Torah does say God promised it to us & in fact, so does the Qur'an. It says Jerusalem belongs to the Jews. By that book, we are called the people of the book, but no one cares."

"Just seems a silly thing to die for," Sylar muttered. "Books & cities. This is one of two reasons why I hate anything to do with any God or religion. Causes a lot of fighting. My power I was born with is the other reason."

They watched the not so distant war for a while before Ariel asked, "You used to believe in God right?"

"Sure, I was raised sort of Catholic." They listened to a round of rapid gunfire. "Never went to church services but my mom, well aunt who adopted me, taught me about God anyway. She even had a priest come to our home to baptize me the very first Sunday she had me. But it's a little different from you. Catholics are Jesus followers."

"Yeah I know," Ariel leaned against the railing, back against the city. "Ever think about going back?"

"I will never go back to Catholicism," Sylar replied. "Even if I decided to believe in God again. I would go Protestant, probably Adventist since they keep the Sabbath like your people do & it would just make things easier in this country."

"What's wrong with the Catholics?"

"The Petrelli family," Sylar stated. "They all still practice & I have no intention of being in the same church Peter is."

Ariel tried not to laugh. "What about going back to God?"

"If God exists, then He needs to be the One to come back to me. As far as I know, He abandoned me to this terrible fate. Why would any God allow someone like me to exist? I stopped believing after I started killing. Took a few kills. In the beginning, I...I had a different method of..."

"You're profile said you crucified some of them. You got that from your side of the Bible, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Sylar nodded, laughing softly at the 'your side' comment. "Only in the beginning & then that's around the time I stopped believing."

"Can I ask you something a bit personal perhaps?"

"Might as well."

"Why did you like pain & terror so much?"

"I do like a good hunt but, it's not that I like it; although I grew to enjoy it more as I destroyed my mind with more powers," Sylar sighed heavily & moved away from the railing. "It's the fact that it was necessary."

"Necessary?" Ariel gaped at him. She had expected him to admit he just liked it. But he sincerely thought it had to be done a certain way? The very idea of that shook her. "How? What the freaking hell does that mean?"

"Now you're being unladylike," Sylar grinned before he answered. "I found out a lot sooner than Mohinder what caused abilities to behave. It's the adrenals that make abilities work even better than a conscious choice to try using them. Pain, fear & excitement are the three of the best ways to arouse those glands, the ability comes bubbling up almost as if unbidden & I could," He put one hand into the air & made a snatching motion. "catch it. I could learn them better than Peter by looking at them that way in all their natural glory. It's why I always came out on top whenever fighting Peter. I'm just better than him. It's why I chased Claire all through her house before taking the regen. It was to make her scared so I could catch her power. Also, it helped me to download the power better as well. Pain & fear for them, excitement for me. I can take powers the exact same way Peter does of course, you saw that with René but memory wipe or power blocking aren't really focused on strength anyway, but for the others, they weren't strong enough. My way made them stronger but death was a by-product in all but one case: Claire because she can't die. I suppose Lydia could be considered as another one since a different type of excitement got in the way & I soaked up her power through that. Someone else ended up killing her."

"Why didn't you just have sex with everyone then?" Ariel half laughed out of nerves. "No one had to die!"

"I don't do minors, sex or killing. I'm a murderer not a rapist & most importantly, I WILL be damned to hell before I sleep with Peter so..."

"Well who cares about Peter anyway right?"

"Got that one right!" Sylar agreed. "But yeah. That's why I did it that way. To me, it needed to be done a certain way to learn the ability properly."

Ariel stared at him. "I just never expected you to say it was necessary. I thought you simply enjoyed it like the way a vampire would so to speak."

"Ok what am I, a camel or a werewolf or a vampire now? I never drank the blood. I do like how it feels. Always did even before I killed anyone. But I wouldn't drink it."

"You're a camel when you're being a creep."

"An adorable creep," Sylar teased.

"I'd still go with werewolf," Ariel rolled her eyes. "It's like you have two personalities."

"It's how I try to deal with it now," Sylar said. "So far so good but is that because of me or what Shlomo did for me?"

"Probably a bit of both."

"Maybe," Sylar opened the door to go inside. "I am not a nice guy, Ariel. I hold back mostly for my son's sake & with the training I got in the Kabbalah, I hope to keep holding on since Noah is undying like me. But that doesn't change the fact that I am the most dangerous being in the universe, perhaps even more so than your Jehovah who is supposedly a merciful God. I show little mercy. I'm an apex predator above all other apex predators that ever existed or will exist. You can tame this monster but you can never kill it. I did not ask for this & never in my wildest dreams did I ever think to become Death & had anyone told me what would become of me, I would have never believed them, but it is what it is." They shared a look. "I am Death in human form now. There is no escaping it or denying it." Ariel was almost in tears again. Sylar moved inside. "We should all get to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Ariel stayed outside for several minutes by herself. She wiped away a few tears before heading to the other bedroom which she would share with Jessica.

"It's about time you showed up," Jessica said the moment Ariel closed the door & started getting ready for bed. "So? Spill the beans!"

"What beans?"

"Oh don't be coy," Jessica complained. "I just want to know why you're here with me instead of down the hall with that gorgeous specimen of the male species. It should be illegal to be that hot!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ariel gasped. "He's just a friend, not to mention my boss! Were you reading his mind or something?"

"Both," Jessica said. "I was feeling everything. Both of you have some real strong emotions. The two of you were out on the balcony for almost two hours. You're asking me to believe you weren't sucking each other's lips off, or more?"

"Girl please!" Ariel got into bed at last. "Just friends. He's my BOSS! Plus he's married. He's not the one. Actually, he's the...other...one."

"Other one?"

"Yeah, the one Shlomo & I used to talk about sometimes," Ariel said. "That one. Shlomo made Gabriel take over when he died."

"Wait," Jessica sat up straight in her own bed. "That one you guys talked about, that was...Ariel!" She hissed in a whisper. "Is that guy down the hall that head-slicer from New York? Is that ...Sylar?!"

"He's not like that anymore. Shlomo fixed him," Ariel turned off the light. "Now please go to sleep." She rolled over, away from Jessica, feeling her eyes sting again. She pressed her palm to them for a moment. There wouldn't be much sleep for her tonight.

After almost twenty minutes, Jessica said, "I can't believe I just called Sylar hot!"

Ariel groaned. "Shut up or I will be the one killing something. How did you not recognize him? His face is known in America now."

"I heard about what he did so I never looked at any pictures," Jessica admitted.

"How much do you know of him?"

"Not much," said Jessica. "He can have more than one ability but he kills to get them. That's about it."

"He got stuck with an unusual power without any training until much later," Ariel said. "He is doing so much better now."

"You sure he is okay?"

"Yeah," Ariel stated simply, not as sure as she pretended to be.

After the last box was loaded onto the moving van the next morning, Sylar gave Jessica the same type of book Shlomo had once handed to him, although hers was in Hebrew. "Once you've settled in, you can join us if you want."

Jessica considered him a moment, her eyes switching from brown to a blue swirl & then back again. "Thanks. I'll think about it."

Sylar looked at Ariel. "See you in a few days." He disappeared on the spot.

Ariel was staying with Jessica to help her unpack once they got to Haifa. Jessica tried not to mention it during the drive over but she finally said, "He does care about you a lot. If he was any other man I'd say go for it, but this is Sylar we're talking about."

"The fact that he cares should prove he has grown a lot since coming here," Ariel said. "I don't just see him as Sylar but we can only ever be friends. You shouldn't get involved with the boss & he has a woman waiting for him."

* * *

_* While looking for something else totally unrelated, I randomly came across a picture of Zach Quinto with a black woman doing something to his hair. I have no idea who she is (not Zoe Salanda) & guessing either a make up artist or a fan. However, she is a good fit for how I thought of Ariel. I can't seem to find the photo again but fortunately I did save it, so if any of you are on facebook, it would be attached to one of my Heroes posts in two groups "fanfiction . net Writers Unite!" & "Fanfiction . net" where I post links to all fanfiction I do & merely do a 'Heroes: The Nightstalkers' post search within either group. _


	14. Chapter 14

_(Spoken words in italics are said in Hebrew.)_

* * *

**(14) Love & Mirrors**

Sylar didn't see Ariel again until she returned to the Kabbalah office almost two weeks later. Jessica didn't need her telepathic power to feel the tension immediately spring up between them. Even when they were in the same room together, they seemed to be so completely separate from each other that they might as well have gone to different groups. It was hard to focus on learning to not constantly read everyone's minds when she was around either of them.

Ariel kept it strictly professional now. She felt as if Sylar was somehow secretly pushing her away & she wasn't far from the truth. She was mortal. He wasn't & he didn't want to risk another episode of almost killing her, so he avoided her as much as possible.

Despite the split, Ariel did manage to do something of a sweet gesture for Sylar when she rewrote his profile, explaining how his first power had worked & turned Gabriel Gray into something more of a victim. It was only accessible by the Kabbalah for any international update would alert unwelcome parties from America.

René was the only link to the outside world. Sylar kept going back & forth about the guy, unsure if he should trust him or not. But Shlomo had & Sylar did trust Shlomo's instincts, so he kept René close but allowed the man to do his own thing to keep Noah safe. So long as René took charge of the boys, Sylar left Noah & Jason together. The Haitian was also keeping an eye on anyone with abilities outside Israel in case they came in & especially if they went near Noah's school. No more surprise substitute teachers from his past! If they knew about Sylar, he or René could take those memories. But for the most part, those of Sylar's past didn't even consider Israel & the only ones with abilities passing through were other Jews returning home.

Noah, it seemed, had finally stopped trying to pry into his father's past. His memories were intact for he healed too fast, but he had dropped the subject ever since their summer long trip through 'the black' & seemed content to hang out with Jason. He still had yet to start bringing anyone home or talk about coming out. Sylar had been so sure his son was gay & maybe with Jason, but it had been over a year since he & Tirzah had taken a guess about their boys' seemingly non-existent love life, he was starting to worry if something was wrong.

During the Passover week the following spring when there was some free time from both school & the Kabbalah, Sylar attempted to broach the subject but without teasing. He knew few things escaped his soul-searching power & the ones that did usually weren't good.

He brought Noah out to a restaurant in Haifa. They sat outside near the back of the deck. Sylar ripped a piece of the matzo bread (for the usual challah braided bread or any regular bread was hard to get during the Unleavened bread festival), gave half to Noah, then asked, "So how's school going?"

Noah ate his piece before answering. "Fine. Wish Jason could be in more classes with me as before but his rabbinical studies are putting him in different classes from me now & it doesn't help that I'm a grade ahead. Worked better when we were younger but now we only have P.E. together & lunch break."

Sylar leaned back in his chair. "You have plenty of friends besides Jason."

"Of course," Noah said. "But Jason & I grew up together. He's just my best friend is all."

The air warbled. A lie? Noah rarely lied to him & NEVER about Jason. Until now. "Jason is just your friend?" Sylar asked.

"Yeah," Noah nodded, making the ability his father had go off.

Sylar had a piece of lamb while he came up with a way to present his next question without alarming Noah. "Has Jason ever, uh..." It was rare Sylar would be lost for words. Noah stared at him, waiting. Sylar decided to treat him like how he treated Claire. Just be straight with him & get it over with. "Noah," He leaned forward, keeping his voice low so others wouldn't overhear. "You can tell me anything, okay?'

"Okay," Noah shrugged.

Sylar hesitated before asking, "Did Jason hurt you?"

"What? No!" exclaimed Noah. "We're very close. He wouldn't hurt me. Why would you ask such a thing?"

Sylar looked very confused for a while. Noah did not lie, not this time. "Because you lied when you said he was a friend. I can sense lies remember?"

"Dad I—I just—Ugh! Never mind."

"Never mind?" Sylar echoed. "Noah what is going on? Are you two friends or not?"

"N—yes. It's complicated."

"There is nothing complicated about it," Sylar said. "Did he or did someone, did..." He got up & went around the table. Leaning close to Noah's ear, he whispered softly, "Noah, were you...raped...or something?"

There was a long, long pause of an eternity of silence. Sylar slowly pulled away. In a rare moment, he almost seemed to be near tears. Noah just stared in shock at him. "W-what?" He finally laughed nervously.

"Noah talk to me," Sylar pleaded in a whisper. "I will kill whoever hurt you. I mean literally kill them!"

"No. NO! I'm still a virgin!"

The relief in Sylar's face was instant. He dropped back into his chair. "Virgin..." He stared at the leftover lamb in his plate. Noah didn't lie. "Alright, virgin." Sylar sighed. "Okay I'm glad that part of the conversation is over with."

"So am I," Noah laughed. "Why the hell would you think something like that?"

Sylar was still trying to relax. He finished off the lamb before being able to look directly at Noah again. "Because, uh, well, you just don't seem to behave like a teen boy your age would."

Noah looked his father over. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No. Well you lied about Jason a few minutes ago," Sylar began. "But I'm serious here. Why have you not started bringing home a girlfriend or a boyfriend yet? I'm not teasing you this time. It's just you're fifteen now but, it hasn't happened yet & I was really starting to think someone had hurt you in a certain way that might have turned you off."

Noah stared at his own lamb dinner. "There is something a little different than just friends going on with Jason & I, but it isn't that."

"So you are gay then?"

"Not exactly."

"Trans?"

"No, it's something," Noah leaned sideways a bit & pulled something out of his pocket. He held it out of sight for a moment before slipping on a shiny completely black band around his right middle finger. "We don't wear these in public. It's a symbol of what we are," he all but whispered, then held up his hand to show it off. "Jason & I picked out each other's black rings."

"Great," Sylar sat back, letting both hands clap into his lap. "So you two are practically married?"

Noah swore in French, Hebrew & English before finishing with, "Good grief! Just kill me now."

"Yeah don't say things like that around me," Sylar flicked up one brow for a moment.

"It's something everybody seems to hate," Noah said. "Even the gay community seem to spurn people like us."

"Noah, I'm not going to hate you for being different," Sylar tried imploringly. "Now, just say it. Get it over with like how I just asked if you had been mistreated. You'll feel much better after. I certainly did."

"Fine," Noah muttered. "Jason & I are ... ... we're um," He looked at his father, sitting back in his chair again, arms crossed & waiting expectantly. "Jason & I are homo-romantic, but Asexual." Noah blinked.

Sylar blinked. Noah blinked again. Sylar pinched the bridge of his nose. Though he tried hard not to, for he realized he had just forced his son to come out before he was ready (& he sincerely did feel a little bad about that but too late now)—come out as what?—he still choked on a laugh when he finally found his voice. "What the freaking hell does that mean?!"

"I knew it!" Noah angrily thumped the table with a fist. "I knew it would turn out like this. Just like everyone else, laughing at it & hat—"

Sylar had silenced him with his force power. "Would you calm down? I don't hate you. I just don't get it. I never heard the first word before in my life & as for the second one, last I checked, that was a biological term for the reproductive cycle of lower lifeforms."

Noah rubbed his face with both hands. "Thank Aviv I didn't throw in the word Demisexual which is also another label for Jason & I."

Sylar groaned loudly. "Holy Mother of God, help me with this child!" He grumbled under breath, then looked at Noah who was still glaring at him. "Alright. Start from the beginning."

"That's it," Noah said in a lighter tone. "It's something like that in fact."

"What? Which part?"

"Mary stayed a Virgin in the Catholic faith right?"

"Okay."

"Asexual folks aren't ruled by hormones. A lot of them stay virgins for life not by choice but just 'cause they have no physical desire."

"That not possible."

"Thanks Dad," Noah replied in a condescending tone. "You just wiped out my existence by saying that & it's rather offensive. Shut up please."

Sylar stared in surprise for a moment. "Very well. I'm sorry. Please continue."

Noah glared at him. "I don't want to." He began eating the rest of his lunch.

"Noah," Sylar watched him for a moment. "I just need time to adjust to this. I don't like not being able to understand things. It's not good for me. Please just...try again?" Noah stubbornly shook his head. Sylar tried something else. "What was that first word you used?"

"Homo-romantic," Noah ground out.

"Alright, homo meaning same," Sylar spoke slowly. "So it is gay-like then?"

"There are romantic & sexual orientations & no, they do not have to match which makes things more confusing," Noah replied somewhat tersely. "This is why Jason & I didn't want to come out yet. We're still figuring things out for ourselves."

"That's okay," Sylar was once more whispering, hoping he wouldn't scare Noah off again. "One word at a time. So you do like boys, right?"

"Pretty much," Noah answered. "I prefer to love a guy instead of a girl."

"Jason?"

"Yes, Jason."

"Alright then," Sylar's voice was almost back to normal. "That's easy. So ... you don't want to have sex with him, or anyone, ever?"

"Probably not for a long time," Noah said.

Sylar took a moment to think that over. "So you DO want sex?"

"Not for a long time," Noah repeated. Sylar rolled his eyes. Noah went on. "That's the Demisexual part of it. Still considered Asexual since sex is not important in our lives as much as you sexual folks who are controlled by it. I need to know my partner for a very long time, years, before allowing him to get that close. I wouldn't be able to do one-night stands or short summer flings. If I don't know you, I won't be interested in you. Same for Jason. We talk about it a lot, but the talking phase will take years."

"Taking things slow," Sylar tried. "So in three or four years, you'll try something more?"

"Uh," Noah hesitated before saying, "More like three or four decades."

"Decades."

"Yeah," Noah said. "Now Jason & I often hold hands, we have been in the same shower together a few times & yes we have kissed occasionally, but that will last a long time before we try anything more. We still talk about it for now."

"Wow," Sylar breathed in awe. "You do know Jason will be slightly, I am NOT being indelicate here, just saying he will be, uh, seasoned a bit by the time you get around to having sex if you wait that long."

"That's fine," Noah shrugged. "Our attraction is not physical but intellectual. Besides, the forties aren't that bad anyway. Still young."

"I suppose so," Sylar let it go for now. "So once you start, then you'll go at it like rabbits?"

"No," Noah shook his head. "We don't need it often. Maybe once every five or six years, whenever we start."

Sylar desperately fought off the urge to say 'that remains to be seen' for he knew it would make Noah mad again. Usually when people started that stuff, they couldn't stop. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about teen sex any time soon," he said instead.

Noah laughed quickly. "No not really." He finished off the last bit of his plate before asking, "Are you okay?"

"It's a very difficult concept to grasp," Sylar admitted. "But ultimately, so long as you're happy, it's fine."

"You should go onto the AVEN," Noah said. "It's the Asexual website & explains a lot. Jason & I are on it a lot."

"I'll look it up when we go home," Sylar replied. "Can I ask you something about Jason now?" Noah gave him a 'really?' kind of depressed glare. Sylar decided to brave it & pressed on. "When Jason gets old & dies, what will you do?"

"Well, of course I will mourn that," Noah answered. "Don't know how long it will take. I'll deal with it when it comes to that."

"You think you'll find a new partner?"

"Well yes, seeing as how in a million years from now, I might not even remember Jason," Noah pointed out. "Downside of being immortal I guess. But, whenever I do find a new partner, the process will start over from the beginning, take years to develop." After a moment he added, "Know what? I think that's would be a part of it. All my partners are going to be mortal men. I want time to get to know them, before I give myself to them, before they die on me." He looked up at his father. "I can only ever be a Demisexual. It's the only way to have some type of half-normal meaningful relationship while ignoring the fact I'll still be here lost to the expanse of time."

"You know," Sylar started slowly. "Somewhere down the line, it's possible that other immortal people could be born."

"You think so?"

Sylar looked his son over before answering, "There was one other immortal person I knew about a long time ago."

"What?" Noah gasped.

"He lived for a long time, almost four hundred years old."

"But, he still died?"

"He lost his power," Sylar explained. "Remember I told you I knew some scientists who were screwing around with genetics? Well that caused problems, gave abilities to some, took abilities away from others & one ability somebody had could also drain you of your powers if they touched you. So he lost his power & died; otherwise he'd still be here today."

"An ability that drains powers. Isn't that what you do?"

"Not quite," Sylar now had to come up with a way out of this conversation. "I'm a mimic & can have plenty of abilities. There's one I have that makes me feel your deepest desire if I just put a hand on you. Got it off a girl I fooled around with. She still had her power after ward. My power is different. I don't have the one that actually drains the ability out of another person & renders them devoid of power."

"Deepest desire," Noah mused. "So it's like the mirror of erised then?"

"What's that?"

Noah stared at him. "Never read Harry Potter?"

"No."

"Really?" Noah asked in surprise but Sylar just shook his head. "So, if I told you I'm in House Ravenclaw, my wand is 7 inches holly with a mermaid's hair, my patronus is a snow leopard & my animagus is a Canada goose, you would have literally no clue what I'm talking about?"

"Who's kid are you, mine or Ariel's?" Sylar complained. He sighed heavily before half-retorting, "What house would you put me in?"

"Oh Gryffindor definitely."

"Ariel says my house would be Slytherin."

"No way, not even close!" Noah disagreed. "You're most certainly Gryffindor. They hate Slytherins by the way."

"How many houses does Harry have?"

"Hogwarts School has four," Noah said. "The other is Hufflepuff." He shook his head & laughed. "You don't even come close to being a snake. What is Ariel thinking?" Sylar wondered what being a snake meant in Harry Potter terms, but he knew he could certainly be a devious little snake in real life. Ariel knew him better than Noah did after all. "By the way," Noah went on, forcing Sylar back to reality. "Where is she? You used to hang out with her a lot."

"She's still around," Sylar said. "We're just both busy at work. She's often with her God-daughter since Jessica moved here."

Noah considered him for a moment. "You guys broke up, didn't you?"

Sylar glared. "We were never together!"

"Bullshit."

"Noah!" Sylar admonished. "We're just friends, both busy. I see her almost every day."

"Like I said," Noah put his empty dishes together on the tray. "Bullshit."

"You're a virgin, what do you know?" Sylar scoffed.

"I know enough by seeing," Noah said. "It's just how people like me are. It's okay Dad. You're just afraid of leaving Mom behind. But you can't die either. You should find someone again. It will be temporary of course. I've already accepted that with Jason. One whole life time, his. I think you need to accept that as well."

Sylar rolled his eyes but didn't push the subject further. On the way home, all he could think about was a phrase from the old good book, 'out of the mouths of babes'. Noah was simply reiterating what Sylar had told Claire many years ago. He parked the car in the garage. They got out & headed for the house, with Noah hurrying ahead to get Aviv. Sylar suddenly stood still. Somewhere up ahead in time, Claire was waiting. Noah would need to know what was coming. Once he turned twenty, he would find out through their group of the Kabbalah. One way or the other, in five years or less, Noah was going to know everything. There wasn't a whole lot of time left.

Sylar wavered a little on his feet. He took the glasses off with one hand & pushed his free hand through his hair. "Oh God!" He looked up at the sky. "God how do I do this? I'd rather he hear it from me, but how do I tell him?" He saw Noah come out with Aviv, taking the dog to the beach behind the house. Sylar moved forward towards the house. Some day, Noah will discover it all. He would learn that his father was a killer. Mass murderer. Killed over a hundred people, if not more. Not exactly him but his power made him do things. Oh sure, it stopped when he joined the Kabbalah; he was basically retired now but that's how it started. Oh yeah, let's not forget the fact that Noah would find out how his own parents had truly met, how his father literally ripped his mother apart but she can't die & someday they would get her back in five thousand years. Sylar silently mulled it over as he stopped in front of the door & pressed his forehead to it, as if fighting off a headache, even though he couldn't get one thanks to Claire. "He would hate me the moment I say murderer." He whispered aloud to himself. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about Noah's eighteenth birthday coming up soon. "That's not the best present for any birthday, let alone a coming of age one." But his power said otherwise. "New York! I am not bringing my son to New York for his—but then again, why not? His biggest desire is to go to New York." He sat down on the loveseat bench, leaned forward & put his face into both hands. "That could work. I bring him there. I show him. I will explain it properly to him. But that's only three years instead of five." He stood up again & looked at the sky once more. "So that's it then? I lose my son in three years?" There was of course, no answer, no matter how long he waited. "Okay then." He finally entered the house.

From then on, Sylar was more openly tender with Noah. He had always been soft-spoken around his son. Others had noticed his very voice would change when directed to Noah. He could count the times he raised his voice at the child on one hand & he had never once gotten physical with him except in jest. Now, whenever he had Noah close, he would try to hold on just a little bit longer. A hand shake would be firmer. Leaving him at school would take longer for he would watch the door several minutes after Noah had gone in. Sylar was silently saying goodbye. Kids change a person. Noah had been proof of that. But he worried if he would change back once Noah left the nest; for he would surely fly fast & far when the truth came out. His only hope rested in the fact they were both immortal & maybe some day, in the epochs of time, they would reconcile.

Noah's eighteenth birthday was all Sylar could think about now, fret over. He needed a distraction before he went even more crazy than he already was & by the end of the feast of tabernacles in late September, he finally did it. He got the entire set of Harry Potter books & began reading in earnest, hoping to forget he had less than three years to go.

Even while at the office for his group, on the top floor of the children's school, or when they were at the small synagogue Shlomo had once owned; while others practiced their abilities, or worshiped with their Torah, he would be in a corner, reading.

Ariel had caught him in the act once. "About time!" was all she said, laughing.

"Noah thinks I'm Gryffindor," Sylar said.

"Nah, you're definitely a Slytherin."

"How do you find out?" asked Sylar. "Just pick & choose?"

"No, you literally take the test online."

"There's a test?"

"Yeah," Ariel nodded. "Just get online & look for Wizarding World. It used to be called Pottermore but it's been upgraded."

"I'll check that when I get home."

"You do that," Ariel laughed as she walked away.

Sylar put the Goblet Of Fire aside & got up to walk around a bit. He quietly passed by some who were at prayers so as not to disturb them. He observed others trying to use abilities, sometimes stopping to help them like how Elle had once taught him. Some of the members referred to him as rabbi for this, which Sylar both liked yet found odd at the same time. He was not a religious leader by any means, but the term was also designated as teacher or master as well, used to express honor or respect. Being appointed by Shlomo had also given Sylar some status.

Sylar eventually took the test & then for the first time in a long time, he called Ariel for something other than work. "So apparently I'm a Hufflepuff."

Ariel let that sink in for a moment. "No, no. You would work well in Slytherin."

"Nope, it says Hufflepuff," Sylar said. "It kind of explains me when I was younger. You know, before all this stuff got into my head. I was the nerdy shy guy hiding at the back of class most of the time then."

"I guess that makes sense," Ariel said. "That would be a good thing then. Maybe it means you've found yourself again."

"Maybe."

"How's Noah?" Ariel asked after nearly a minute had gone by without either saying anything.

"Fine. I think he's out with Aviv & Jason right now. He came over for a visit."

"Oh nice," Ariel sat down on the edge of her bed. "Well, goodnight Gabriel."

"Goodnight," Sylar closed the phone, then held it to his chest as he lay back across his own bed. "What am I doing?"

He was staying away from Ariel because she was mortal & he wasn't. He had almost killed her twice now. Third time's the charm, right? Sylar went to the balcony section at the back of the house it wrapped around. He could see Noah & Jason down on the beach, just standing close together & holding on to each other, one immortal, one not. Another thing Sylar realized was that he could not wait five thousand years. He would end up with Claire again some day, but at the moment, she was technically dead to him.

Let Ariel take care of him, Shlomo had said a few moments before Sylar had put him down. There were few people in the whole universe that Sylar trusted, the old dead rabbi being one of them, yet he continued to avoid her. His main worry right now, was confronting Noah about his dark, bloody past. Would Noah's reaction break him & drive him to blood once more? Sylar did not want Ariel to be his first victim after a long dry run. He didn't want her to be yet another statistic of his if it came to that in about three years, so he pushed away. If he could make it past Noah's eighteenth birthday, then perhaps he could be with Ariel.

Sylar finished the Harry Potter books in time for the Hanukkah/Christmas season, or so he thought. "There's more?" He exclaimed after opening Noah's present to find Cursed Child & the Fantastic Beasts set.

"Fantastic Beasts is a prequel," Noah explained. Ariel called him at that moment to wish them both a Happy Hanukkah.

Sylar scolded her. "You didn't mention anything about Cursed Chi—"

"DON'T READ THAT ONE!"Ariel shrieked so suddenly, Sylar fumbled with the phone for several moments before catching it & bringing it back to his still-ringing ear albeit upside-down.

He quickly put it the right way. "What the HELL is wrong with you, woman? I don't scare easily but damn! Pretty sure I lost a few eons of eternity from my life after that one!"

"Sorry," Ariel gasped. "Ohh I should flip that boy over my knee!"

Sylar put the book down on the sofa next to Noah. "Is this bad?"

"Yes!" Ariel replied breathlessly. "Fantastic Beasts is fine, but stay away from that fake book!"

"Noah says he liked it."

"Noah is a kid! What does he know?" Ariel snapped, still grumpy.

"I'd...rather not take sides," Sylar said carefully, glad that Ariel was on the other side of Haifa from him at the moment.

"Just don't read it," Ariel ordered. "See you at work." She then hung up without waiting for a reply.

When next he saw her randomly in Haifa on a frosty afternoon, Sylar slowly asked, "Are we okay?"

"Did you read it?"

"I haven't had a chance to read anything yet."

"Then we're ok," Ariel walked away without so much as a backwards glanced.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Sylar said to himself.

Apart from dodging Ariel's wrath over the accursed book (her words), things seemed to settle for awhile until Noah's next birthday. For a present, Sylar handed over the keys to their newest car as Noah began working through his driver's course, hoping to finish in time for summer. Driving was a major milestone of life, but it only reminded Sylar that he had just two years left to figure something out. He could stop time, but that would be a miserable existence. If only someone from any of the Kabbalah groups out there could maybe slow time down. It was all going by too fast.

The stress was making him difficult to be around as time went on & he slowly became withdrawn, often remaining in the large office above the children's school by himself. He was seen less & less among the others & it was up to Ariel to invite the last two people with powers they had found before summer.

Sylar wasn't heard from for most of the summer either. He had retreated back into the beach house with Noah & Aviv. It was almost as before, when he had been slightly wild, when Noah was a baby or small child. When things were simple.

But things weren't so easy anymore. It would be the second last summer & Noah didn't stick around like before. He was often out on his own, with Jason. He had certain needs now that a parent had no business trying to fulfill. He was growing up.

It caused Sylar more worry than he cared to admit & made him a danger to those around him. Both his attendance & his attention to the group went down. Neither did he answer or return Ariel's calls when she tried to check up on him, which caused even more strain on their already fragile friendship.

Finally out of frustration, Ariel all but threw her Talmud hard onto the desk, startling others around her. It slid down the entire length of the table to fall off into the chair at the end. Barely noticing, she stood up & marched to the door behind which Sylar hid on one of the rare times he was there with them in the Kabbalah temple. René blocked her way. She tried to push him aside but he shook his head.

"Oh it's going to be like that is it?" Ariel fumed. "Step aside now or so help me!"

"He wishes to be alone."

"I don't care!" Ariel puffed up like a prickly porcupine. "I'm going in to talk to him."

"It's too risky."

Ariel narrowed her eyes. "I liked you better when you're on mute! Now, in the words of Queen Esther, I'm going in & if I perish, I perish. STEP ASIDE!" She shoved him but he stood firm. She yelled at him in Hebrew.

Midst her tirade, Sylar opened the door. "You're this close to giving me a headache, which should not be possible for me. As you were, René." He moved aside to let Ariel in.

Ariel snarled at the Haitian. "As YOU were!"

"That is quite enough," Sylar ordered, closing the door. "What do you want?"

"I want to know two things," Ariel started. "First, am I talking to Gabriel or Sylar right now? Second, what is going on with you?"

"I've got my glasses," Sylar answered. "Not that it does anything really. It was more of a game to keep Noah in line when he was younger."

Ariel immediately softened a bit. "How's he doing?"

"Uh fine," Sylar replied sarcastically. "Considering who he has for parents. We both slept around a lot. I don't know where he got it from."

"Aces are rare," Ariel laughed. "Does it really bother you?"

Sylar dropped into the armchair by the window. "No. I don't really understand it, which is very unusual for me. I must have read through that AVEN website a million times. But if he's happy, he's happy. Who am I to interfere?"

Ariel moved a chair closer & sat down across from him. "You know, I remember the time you dyed part of your hair blue * for him, around the time you let him paint his nails. Both of you got a lot of strange looks for that, but neither of you cared."

"It was a phase he went through."

"Why did you put some blue in your hair?"

"I didn't want to do my nails," Sylar laughed quickly. "So I compromised with that. It washed out in a couple days."

"You're a very supportive father," Ariel said. Sylar merely scoffed under breath. She watched him for a moment. "Alright, what's really going on?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

Sylar got up from the armchair & walked by her. "I said it's nothing."

"Where are y—oh no no. You aren't walking away this time!" Ariel quickly turned to light, blinding him for a moment. While he recovered, she reappeared. "You're avoiding everyone lately. Used to be just me, but now you're pushing us all away."

"I'm not avoiding anyone."

"Liar!"

Sylar glared at her. "Are you asking me to kill you?"

"There you go again," Ariel ignored the threat. "Pushing me away, like you've been doing for over a year."

"Ariel!" Sylar shouted at her, making her jump. In a lower voice he said, "Fine. Yes. I am avoiding you. I almost killed you twice already. I'm trying to avoid an accident. If I can just make it through this next year & a half without hurting you, or anyone else, that would be great. But I don't know if I can."

"Why?" Ariel asked. "What happens in a year & a half?"

Sylar gazed at her for a long time. "Noah's eighteenth birthday." He glared at the table before adding, "I'm...going to take him to New York." Ariel gasped, putting both hands over her mouth. "I'm going to try—but God! I don't know how! I don't think I can but if I don't, he's going to find out anyway when he turns twenty & joins us. There is no stopping it & it's coming at me faster than I can blink!" He turned away from her. "It is killing me inside."

"Gabr—"

"Sylar! I am Sylar!" He took the glasses off & dropped them onto the table. "Noah is going to find out about me & there is nothing I can do to prevent that! I only hope he is as supportive of me as his own father was of him."

Ariel was very careful with her words so as not to set him off more than he already was. "You're right," She stated simply. He looked at her with that terrible predatory gleam in his eyes. "You're right, you can't stop it from happening. But you can decide how it happens. Do it properly, he'll stay with you."

"Exactly how do I do it properly?" Sylar whispered, his eyes following her every move. He didn't even blink.

"I don't know," Ariel admitted. "But now that I know what's going on with you, let me help you."

"I am well beyond help," Sylar retorted. "Unless you can erase the entire past, there is little you can do."

She moved close to him despite how he was still eyeing her. "Give me some time. We have over a year. We have some time left. Give me some of that to try." She knew she would either die in a moment, or he would offer her a sceptre in the form of time. Just like Xerxes the king of old, he also did not believe in her God, even if he did have any faith, it still wasn't quite the same as hers. She waited for a reply. Where was her sceptre? Did he even understand what was happening right now?

Sylar shook his head. "If that God of yours can work any miracles, now would be a really good time." He turned away from her & picked up the glasses again. Ariel slowly walked to the door & left. Never ever run from a predator, especially when they were in the mood to hunt. Once the door was closed, she ran for it before he changed his mind again.

It was Ariel's turn to avoid Sylar now, taking advantage of the time given her. The only time she allowed herself near him was when Noah would be around for she knew he wouldn't release his inner demon with his son there. She often watched Noah from afar, usually seeing him with Jason in Haifa, sometimes at the school or out on dates. The pair were becoming more open now since Noah had come out to his own father. Both now wore their black rings permanently. Both still innocent. She wondered how he would handle it when he found out what his father really was. But how to tell him without scaring him off?

By the time his seventeenth birthday came, Ariel was sharing the same feelings as Sylar. She had come up with part of a plan but it was still in the works. She called Noah in the afternoon after school to wish him a happy birthday, then after a short hesitation, she asked for his father.

"Yeah, what is it?" Sylar began in a gruff voice.

"I'm still figuring it out but," Ariel sighed before adding. "Let me go with you to New York next year."

Sylar looked out the window over the glistening sea. "That's an idea," He finally said.

"We can face him together," Ariel went on. "We just have to be gentle about it."

"I'm hardly that," Sylar said.

"You are with your son," Ariel disagreed. "We've all seen it countless times."

Sylar glanced around to see Noah in the kitchen with Aviv. He moved far away, into the living room. "Ariel, I don't usually get like this, but I'm starting to feel about as lost & scared as I was on September 11."

Ariel went to the table & pulled off a piece of challah bread. "We're doing this together & we still have a year to come up with a way to tell him. Two heads are better than one right?"

"I hope so."

After a long silence in which Ariel ate her piece of bread, she said. "I know you're atheist but why don't you come over for Shabbot dinner this week?"

"I do not think that would be wise," Sylar replied softly.

"You don't have to join in the prayers."

"It's not the religion," Sylar said quickly. "In fact, I quite admire your Jewish culture & rituals. I don't have to believe in it to appreciate it. I find it quite beautiful. I'm just not myself right now."

"Alright," Ariel gave up. "I just thought we could talk things through maybe."

"I'll think about it," Sylar relented. "But certainly not this week." He let another silence go by. "I can hear shofars on your end. You back in Jerusalem?"

"Yeah," Ariel stepped outside for a moment. "They've sighted the New Moon."

"I tried blowing one once," Sylar said, almost laughing. "If I didn't have Claire's ability, I would have ripped a lung out & gone permanently cross-eyed." Ariel burst out laughing for a full minute. "I won't be doing that again," Sylar went on when she shut up. "But I do love that sound!"

Ariel held the phone up high in the air as the blowing of the horns resonated through Jerusalem for a few moments. "There are quite a few of them this time," She said once the horns were quiet. "A bit of a cease-fire going on right now."

"Oh yeah?" Sylar stretched out on the sofa. "Want to bet on how long this one will last?"

"Sure. Shabbot dinner."

"That's blackmail."

"Made you laugh again, didn't I?" Ariel snapped playfully.

"Whatever," Sylar complained. "Give it a week."

"I say two days," Ariel said. "You know how to cook right?"

"Yeah but I don't have Claire's rabbit recipes yet," Sylar lamented. "That's not for a few millennia."

"Gabriel," Ariel all but whined. "Rabbits are unclean. I can't eat those."

"They chew cud!" Sylar exclaimed. "Sort of. It's similar."

"But they don't have split hooves, or any hooves at all."

Sylar took a moment to look up Leviticus. "Oh," He stared at the screen for a moment. "Chapter 11 verse 6 literally says no hares. Shows how much I read this thing."

"You better have that chapter memorized before I come over," Ariel ordered.

"That's only if I lose."

"You will."

"I get cranky when I lose."

"So do I."

"Oh it is ON girl!"

"Goodnight Gabriel."

"Goodnight," Sylar ground out.

Needless to say, Sylar did lose. A large volley of rockets was fired at Jerusalem the day after the New Moon. Most were taken out by the Iron Dome but a few still sent civilians running to the bomb shelters. It still took him a few weeks before inviting Ariel over for her prize. He had waited until summer after he had been away from others for a while in the hopes of getting his killer side to settle down after being alone for a bit.

On the other hand, Ariel would be hard to catch since she could turn into a beam of light & just shine until he got bored. Might be interesting to play cat & mouse with her. Wait. He wasn't supposed to be thinking like this.

"DAD WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Noah's yell knocked Sylar back to a reality filled with smoke.

"The challah bread!" Sylar gasped, yanking open the stove to find a nice black braid smouldering under the flames.

Noah opened every window in the house before sauntering back into the kitchen. "Dad if you're trying to impress your girlfriend, you're doing it wrong."

"She's NOT my girlfriend," Sylar snapped. "How many times do I have to say that? She's just coming here since I lost a bet to her."

"Lucky I bought some bread yesterday but haven't used it yet," Noah pulled out a large challah loaf from the fridge.

Sylar sighed in relief. "Maybe there is a God out there after all. Gave you to me for this moment!" He put the bread on a plate then put that on the table while Noah laughed.

Noah looked into the pan. "What's that stuff sizzling in here?"

"Just some lard to stop everything from sticking."

"So pig right?" Noah raised a brow at his father, grinning widely. "What are you trying to do, have sex with her or offend her?"

"Neither!" Sylar groused as he swore under breath, grabbed the pan & dumped it out, then washed it thoroughly. "It's habit okay?" He glared at Noah. "I realize she can't have that!"

"Olive oil's in the cupboard," Noah offered.

"I KNOW!" Sylar retorted, pulling it out.

"Do you want me to help you with this?" Noah asked. "Perks of being Asexual. I can think clearly since I'm not hormone driven like you."

"I'm not hormone driven," Sylar defended. It was so much more than that. He was worried he would have another episode. He was worried about telling Noah the truth & that's what Ariel was coming for so they could work something out. Nothing about what this kid had in mind! "But I could use some help. She'll be here soon."

"Well since you basically killed everything," Noah began. "Let's just use my Jordan Amnon fish." He pulled out a pack of two fat fish. "Fins & scales. Should be fine."

"Those tilapia were the first thing I was going to do," Sylar said without thinking. "But I knew they were yours."

"You can use them," Noah replied, watching as Sylar set about cooking them. He continued staring until he was noticed.

"What?" Sylar managed a smile.

"Tilapia is what America calls them."

"So?" Sylar shrugged. "They have several names. Saint Peter's fish is another one."

"Mhm," Noah moved away & picked up the bread.

"Hey no touching!"

"I'm putting it in the microwave for a bit."

"Why?"

"You were trying to make homemade bread right? So you want this warm."

Sylar snickered evilly. "Boy, I like how you think."

"Thank me later." Noah lit up a few sticks of incense. "That's to kill the scent of smoke. You should probably clean up the oven as well."

"Good idea," Sylar agreed. With the two of them working on it, the oven looked normal within a few minutes.

"You should have done most of this yesterday," Noah said, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Why?"

"Not supposed to do work on Sabbath remember?"

"I couldn't care less," Sylar said. "We're not Jewish remember?"

"But she is," Noah pointed out. "She would have been extra impressed if you thought of that."

"For the last time, I'm not trying to impress her."

"Okay boomer," Noah made a quick wanking motion as he left the kitchen.

Sylar yanked off his glasses as he gaped at his son's retreating back. "Oh that's cold!" He finally called out in surprise. "Get ba—oh! I will find a way to kill you for that!"

"Consider it payback for all the times you picked on me about sex," Noah said from the top of the stairs.

"Come down here you brat!"

Noah leaned on the railing, chin in one hand. "How old are you anyway?"

Sylar glared at him. "I'm getting around fifty. Never will show it though since I'm immortal."

"You look good for your age," Noah said. Sylar was in the process of thanking him before he realized what was going on. "I'm sure she will notice that too."

"Go to your room."

"I'm trying!" Noah turned away, laughing his head off. He whistled for Aviv before closing his door with the dog inside.

Sylar rolled his eyes shut for a moment before returning to the kitchen to set the table at last. He was just on time too, for Ariel's car turned into the driveway a few minutes later. He quickly slipped the glasses back on, shot another dark glare up the stairs & then opened the door to let her in.

"I'm going to murder my son one way or the other," Sylar said as he told her about the boomer comment.

Ariel doubled over in laughter. "He called you a boomer?"

"I'm not that old," Sylar complained. "It would clear up our problem next year though."

"So why did he call you a boomer?" Ariel asked.

"'Cause my OLD MAN!" Noah grinned at his father as he came back down stairs, carrying Aviv. "is an idiot." He then proceeded to tell Ariel what actually happened much to Sylar's horror.

"Go back to your room!"

"I need to feed Aviv."

"Ok feed the damn dog, then go back to your room."

"I'll help you Noah," Ariel was crying from laughing too hard. "We can gang up on him."

"I uh I wouldn't recommend that," Sylar tried but was ignored.

Noah filled up a plate for himself while Aviv finished what was in his bowl, then put the leash on. "I'll leave you two alone. Hey Dad? Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"You're Asexual," Sylar pointed out as Noah & Aviv left. "Whatever the hell that means." He added under breath as he turned to the table where Ariel was waiting for him, still laughing.

"He is a brat, isn't he?" Ariel said.

"Yeah he is," Sylar sighed as he sat down. "Takes after his mother. There is so much of Claire in him."

"I dunno. There's quite a bit of you in him as well."

"Like what?"

"Well when one of you answers the house phone, I don't know who I'm talking to half the time since you two have the same voice," Ariel began. "He carries himself the same way you do as well & now that he is basically as tall as you, it's sometimes hard to know if it's him or you from behind unless the light shows Noah's paler hair."

"Do you think he could turn into a killer?" Sylar asked after a short hesitation. Ariel just looked at him. "He comes from a bloodline dripping with the blood of others. The entire family have killed people. I just happen to be the worst of the bunch."

"He knows nothing of that life right now," Ariel answered. "He grew up away from all that. It isn't just blood that affects people, it's also the environment. I don't think he would do that."

"But some things get passed on," Sylar insisted. "His family are all crazy people. I am legally criminally insane back in America. Sometimes I see it in him."

"What are you saying?"

"The way he set up his room," Sylar said. "It's an ordered chaos that's a bit hard for me to figure out sometimes. Come, I'll show you." He quickly finished the last piece of his fish & got up from the table.

When they started up the stairs Ariel teased, "Leading a gal up to the bedroom, are you?"

Sylar turned on the top step to look down at her. "You & Noah today!" He groaned. He opened the door to Noah's room a moment later.

Neither went in but Ariel did see the strange set up. The paths laid out on the floor. How some were placed in groups together as if telling some story. "Wow he has a lot of plushies."

"Yeah & he's still collecting them," Sylar replied, closing the door. "I thought he'd grow out of it a few years ago. It's like an unsatisfied desire. Just like me."

"Well, not quite like you," Ariel pointed out. "His obsession has a softer edge to it."

"For now," Sylar replied. "I didn't start until I was around thirty & my collection," He lifted a finger & tapped the side of his head. "Is all in here."

"I still don't think you have to worry about him," Ariel said as they headed back down stairs. "While children do inherit a lot from both parents, they also develop their own individuality. You & Samson Gray are nothing alike, for example."

"I am EVERYTHING my father was," Sylar disagreed. "I've probably killed more than he did by now."

"Shlomo said otherwise."

"He did?"

"Yeah," Ariel sat down on one side of the couch & waited for Sylar to join her. "You have his Vision power now right?"

"Yes," Sylar nodded. "But it only works on major events, not day to day life. I'm using it to look ahead to when the planet blows."

"You are controlling it," Ariel stated. "Shlomo didn't. He let it tell him what was to come. He saw other people with the Aptitude, like you have & told us another was coming to take his place some day. We all looked to your father at first but Shlomo was adamant it wasn't him, which we were kind of glad about, considering how Samson Gray killed people before you were born. Shlomo kept saying another is coming. When Hiro tried to take you down with his sword in the Kirby Plaza, Shlomo told us it was you." Ariel looked Sylar over. "We didn't want you either, naturally, but Shlomo insisted. We expected you to come over right away, but he never said when you'd show up & soon the matter was dropped when you never did come. Then about seventeen years ago, he started on it again. You were back, this time in Israel with an infant son. Shlomo said you would be different from Samson & was very keen & getting you into our group. It was almost like an obsession."

"He had Intuitive Aptitude as well," said Sylar. "It is basically an obsessive disorder."

"Yeah I can see that," said Ariel. "Shlomo kept going on about how different you were, not only from Samson but from your own self. To us, you had changed over night. But for you, it was because you had spent a few years in a different time. It changed you & your son changed you & to keep that change, Shlomo took you in to make sure you wouldn't revert back like your father did."

"My father said it comes & goes when he tried to attack me to get Claire's power."

"That is because your father never had any help like you did," Ariel said. "It won't be the same for you."

"Why didn't Shlomo try to save him like he did for me?"

"Because Samson was too far gone," Ariel said. "Unlike you, he didn't get caught. So by the time any of us knew about it, he had already killed more than you did before you were sent to the future & all his powers destroyed his mind beyond repair. It isn't that Shlomo didn't want to. It's because he couldn't. It was too late for him, but not for you."

Sylar turned away to look out the window at the glistening water. "I got caught because I accidentally killed the woman who raised me. Left finger prints everywhere. I had just taken another power, Isaac's painting skills & instead of trying to fix the mess & get rid of the evidence, that power took over & made me paint with her blood on the floor, leaving a lot of finger prints & ever since that day, everyone knew the name Gabriel Gray. I still had my Sylar alias but that's the day things really started falling apart. My cover was blown." He looked at Ariel & said softly. "If that accident didn't happen, I wouldn't be here today. Noah wouldn't exist & no one would have known my face or true name. I would be just like my father before me. I didn't mean to hurt her. We were having an argument. I just wanted her to back off. But like Elle, they called it a murder & they had evidence pointing to me from then on." He got up & went to the shelves built onto the wall along the back of the living room. He pushed aside a few things, then brought down a small box & opened it. "I still have the snow globe I was supposed to give her that last time I saw her. I went back for it for some reason."

Ariel came over to watch the swirling snow inside the ball. "I'm glad you have Noah. I just don't like the circumstances, but you have to look ahead, beyond that. We have Noah to worry about now & I think I know how to tell him."

Sylar put the snow globe away. "How?"

"Tell him a story," Ariel said. "Put yourself in third person. Tell him about Sylar & the power that made him do that, but don't mention any names. Let Noah bond with the character, feel as if Sylar is also a victim. While you show Noah around New York, you can mention some of the things the character did. Set up some prompts. Let Noah guess at who it could be."

Sylar ran one hand through his hair. "That might work."

"I think it will work out quite well," said Ariel. "Do it slowly. Let him come to you without him even realizing it right away."

"Yeah & then drive him completely away once he figures out it's me."

"He'll have to get by me remember?"

Sylar moved closer to her until they were barely a few inches apart. "Thank you for offering to come with us. I don't think I could have done this alone."

"It'll be okay," Ariel said. They gazed at each other for a moment before Ariel's phone started chiming. She turned away from him to answer. Sylar stretched back into the armchair while he waited. Ariel suddenly yelled, "What? No no! That can't be!" She dropped her phone & started running for the door, then turned back. "Gabriel, sorry. I...I have to go."

"What happened?" Sylar got up from the chair & moved toward her once more.

Ariel was in tears by now. She mumbled something in Hebrew before answering him. "Something just happened in Jerusalem. You remember the two adopted nieces I mentioned from my other family? They've been..."

"They're dead?"

Ariel gasped in a breath. "I only wish they were. It's worse! They've been taken captive during a raid." She caught Sylar's eyes. "We both know what will be done to them. I need to get home!" She opened the door.

Sylar pulled her back by power until he could grab her with one hand. "You plan on driving back to Jerusalem? That's almost two hours away on a good day. I expect some blockades will be up when you get closer to Jerusalem. You'll never get through!"

"I have to get home!" Ariel rubbed her face with both hands for a moment.

"What do you plan to do when you get there? The girls are gone already," Sylar said. "How do you plan on getting them back?"

Ariel stared at him. She knew he was right but she felt so helpless. "I don't know!" She finally gave up in a wave of tears.

Sylar held her close for a moment. "Let me tell Noah I'm going out for a bit. I can teleport us both into Jerusalem. We'll figure something out there." He left her at the door & ran to the beach where Noah was lying back in the sand while Aviv ran after waves.

Ariel closed the door behind her as she stepped out onto the deck to wait. Sylar soon returned, took her by the hand & the next thing she knew, they were on the streets of Jerusalem. It was chaos in the streets. People running to & fro & several cars were on their sides along the roads. Ariel led Sylar to her home just a few minutes away. It was still standing.

They both went in without knocking. Ariel looked around & soon found her sister crying at the kitchen table.

Ariel ran to her side. _"Devorah! What happened? Our house is fine!"_

_"It wasn't here," _Devorah said. _"They were still close to the synagogue. I had stayed home today since I wasn't feeling well, but they went. Suicide bombers drove a bus into it. The explosion killed a lot of people. Any survivors got picked up. Gissel & Nechamie were outside when it happened. They got taken along with several others."_

Sylar stepped in towards the women at the table. _"Any idea where they would have gone?"_

Devorah gasped in surprise & glanced around at the stranger who had come with Ariel. Going by the business suit he was wearing, with a smoky blue-gray shirt, she assumed he would be her sister's boss. She felt a sense of not only excitement but also dread. Something vaguely familiar tugged at her memory in spite of everything. ** _"Who are you?"_

Taking a moment to put the glasses aside onto the table he said, "Sylar."

Devorah stared before jumping in her seat but Ariel held her down. She glared at Sylar. "What are you doing?"

"If you want those girls back, you need me," Sylar replied. Ariel silently shook her head, sharing a short glare with him before he turned his attention to Devorah. He spoke in Hebrew. _"If anyone can get them back, it's me. You both know it."_

_"You would do that for us?" _

_"I'm a retired serial killer, never a rapist," _Sylar replied. _"Let me bring them home. I'm probably the only one who can right now."_

_"It's too late," _Devorah said through tears. _"They're heading to the border. Should be there soon. You'd have to get ahead of them to stop them."_

_"I can move really fast," _Sylar beamed himself to the other side of the table.

Devorah suddenly had a slight glimmer of hope. _"They're heading to Madaba in Jordon. There's an airport just past there for them to fly out. They have to cross the River Jordan which is about a two hour drive from here. It might be easier to stop them before they cross."_

Ariel was already scanning a map before showing it to Sylar. "This is the main route."

"Which means they'll be taking the lesser used one," Sylar said. "They're most likely posing as a transport bus by now before word gets out of what their intents are." He folded up the map & teleported out. He landed on the top floor of a half-built complex close to the road & nearly jumped, feeling pressure on his right arm. "Ariel! What the hell are you doing?"

"I knew you were planning to beam out. I grabbed on at the last moment."

"I'm bringing you home. Now!"

"No."

"You can die."

"I can also kill," Ariel pulled out a gun from under her jacket. "I've put down several terrorists when I was in Jerusalam before." She leaned back against a beam where a wall would go. "You need me. You don't know what the girls look like & they don't know you. They won't come to you willingly. You also need someone to keep an eye on you so you don't completely lose it."

"Ariel," Sylar glared at her before shaking his head. "Fine, but you stay close to me so I can make sure you don't die."

"I don't intend to die today," Ariel said. "I'm with one of the best hunters right now."

Sylar had to laugh in spite of himself. "This is true." He looked at their surroundings & began moving through the framework into the next area that would eventually be another room. Several large mirrors lay on the floor, *** reflecting the sky above. They saw planes whizz by overhead by looking into the reflection. "This building is abandoned, I think," Sylar said. "The mirrors are left out in the open. No covering. No one's here."

"It happens sometimes," Ariel said, watching Sylar sit down on one of the large reflective panes. "Terrorist groups. Bombing. Probably drove the people off for a bit. Someone else will eventually start to rebuilding again."

"You'd think they'd run out of stuff to bomb after a while," Sylar lay back a bit & looked up at the sky before rolling over to lie on his stomach. He looked at her.

Ariel slowly walked out onto the mirrored floor towards him. She almost used his true name, but that primal look gave her pause. "Sylar," She finally said. She knelt down in front of him.

"What?" Sylar raised one brow at her.

"Do not kill in your traditional way," Ariel said. "You'll be found out & it will get back to Noah before you do."

Sylar raised himself up on his palms so that he was almost nose to nose with her. "I don't plan on getting caught this time," He said, dropping his voice a little. "Besides, for once this isn't exactly murder. We're getting rid of some terrorists."

"True," Ariel replied breathlessly.

Sylar moved in swiftly, not to kiss her but towards her ear. He whispered softly, "I can see how living in Jerusalem could be beneficial for someone like me though. I can literally get away with murder there & few would care." He moved back a little to look her in the eye. "Change my target from people with abilities to people with no love for Jews."

Ariel gasped softly. She understood now, just how twisted his mind could be, like the pathways in his son's bedroom. Shlomo had said he would never kill for abilities again, not that he would never kill again. "Think of your son."

"I do," Sylar replied. "He is registered as an Israeli. He doesn't know he was born in New York & neither does anyone else besides you, except Shlomo who's dead now. If anyone from the ISIS or Hamas get their hands on Noah, not even I can imagine what they would do to an immortal being like him."

"I suppose so," Ariel said shakily.

"Perhaps this is my purpose," Sylar went on, still staying close to her. "With all my powers, I could probably win this war single-handedly for your people. If I knew where their headquarters are out there." Ariel's breath caught in her throat. Fact was, he probably could. Was he the one her people had been waiting for since time began? "Shouldn't be too hard to find, not for me anyway."

She slowly raised a hand & rested her fingertips on his cheek. "You could," She managed to say in a hoarse breath. She searched his eyes for a long moment. "My G-d! Is it you? The one we've prayed for?"

"Hey now," Sylar half-smiled. "Don't get all religious on me. I admire your faith, but it doesn't exist for me."

"I know," Ariel dropped her hand away & looked down from his piercing gaze. She saw their reflections under them in the mirror. "Shlomo saw something in you. I know it! Do you have any Jewish background by blood?"

"Not that I know of," Sylar answered. "I just like Jews, your culture. That's all it is."

"That's all?"

"Mhm," Sylar never took his eyes off her. "Well," He kind of half-shrugged, still holding himself up on the mirror. "Maybe not quite all." He lingered a moment longer. "It's high time I took that power of yours, don't you think?" Ariel's eyes went wide for a moment. He was going to kill her! Now, of all times? Sylar smiled softly at her surprise, then attacked her, by moving forward onto her, tipping them both over.

Ariel found herself flat on her back with him on top of her, pinning her down like a panther holding it's prize kill. She barely had time to think straight before feeling one of his hands slide under her belt into her pants. She relaxed for a moment, realizing he wasn't going to kill her. It was something else he was after. Her body involuntarily moved to his groping fingertips until he found that one special spot to play with. For the next few moments, she lost all sense while he rubbed her. He seemed to know exactly how to touch her & she wasn't sure if that was due to experience or some ability he had but was not in a position to care at the moment. Her head only cleared a little when he pulled his hand away.

Sylar tossed his shirt aside as he sat over her hips. He looked at himself in the reflection under them before pulling her up to sit under him & started to help her undress. He was in the process of undoing her bra when she put her hands over his, stopping him.

"Wait," She gasped. "What about Claire?"

"That's five thousand years from now," Sylar said. "Does anyone really expect me to go for that long of a dry run? I'm not Noah!"

"Well," Ariel sighed. "When you put it that way." She lay back.

Sylar covered her with his own body. "Been a long time since I've done this already, Over seventeen years." He began working his way in between her legs until he could push in with one firm thrust, earning a loud groan in his ear.

He started gentle but became more aggressive as he lay with her. They rocked back & forth for a while, Sylar pressing harder into her every time he bore down. He soon rolled over, pulling her on top as he put his fingers through her long, thick hair. She ground against him. Her hands were on his pecks, holding herself up a little. He let the heat fill him as she had him pinned under her. She bent her head down to kiss him. It made him release, long & hard as he shoved up into her, sending them both into a seizure of satisfaction.

She still lay on him, her hair spread over his chest. He softly stroked it for a few minutes, watching the long shadows creep into the framework as the sun set. Lifting a hand, he suddenly added a burst of brilliance that bounced off the mirrors they lay upon. He had soaked up her power. He put that hand on her bare shoulder.

"We have to get up," Sylar said at last. Ariel moaned softly. She had been about to sleep. "Come on. They'll be driving by soon."

Ariel sat up in his lap. "This was a long time in coming, wasn't it?"

"In more ways than one," Sylar laughed lightly. Then he went serious. "I was trying to stay away from you. I don't want to kill you."

"I don't think you will," Ariel said as she began reaching for random clothes until she found some of her own.

"I hope not," Sylar began doing the same. "I've got your power now. Hopefully mine will shut up around you."

Ariel paused, midway from putting her bra on & looked up at him. "Was that all it was for you?"

"There's more to it than that," Sylar shook his head. "Mostly my fault. I'm immortal. You aren't. I was afraid of killing you but also of getting attached. We've been dancing around each other for years. I tried ignoring it, but it didn't work. So here we are now. Gaining your ability is merely an added bonus." He stepped behind her & slid his hands under her half-exposed breasts but not to feel them. Sylar pinched the underwire in the bra, pinning something inside. "Don't lose the bra. I put a tracking device in it in case we get separated." He held up his phone & connected it to his tracker, then turned away from her & bent to pick up his shirt. He remained silent while he finished getting dressed & avoided watching her do the same.

"Are you alright?" Ariel asked at last.

"I do not know," Sylar replied so low it was hard to hear again. He finally looked at her. "I'm about to kill again, but not as a sport. I've only ever murdered people, not warfare like this. But it's still a killing zone. You're about to see me at my worst."

"Gabr..." She stopped short as he simply looked at her. "Sylar. Whatever you do, promise me you won't kill in your usual way. If that gets out! Just think about Noah."

"I know." Sylar sighed. "Do not change in front of them. If people of that sort knew about what really goes on in our Kabballah chapters, they could come after any of us to try gaining abilities to use against Israel. I will use the force to flip aside some of those vehicles from afar, but once I'm up close, I will make it physical instead. If any of them do happen to figure out we're special, killing them first is a top priority. They could destroy everything if they start getting their hands on people like us."

"Okay, sounds like a good idea," Ariel stood up, pulling on her jacket. "There. I think that's them." She pointed to a line of trucks coming down the road.

"Yeah," Sylar watched it come. He was ready for it. One lust now satiated, it was time to quell the other more deadly one.

* * *

* Yes, there is a picture of Zach Quinto going around with a streak of blue bangs he apparently did recently!

**/*** This based on a photoshoot Zach Quinto did on a mirror on the floor. I can no longer find them online though I have copies of them in my own pictures. There are about 10 of them in a series.


	15. Chapter 15

**(15) Fractured Light**

Sylar grabbed Ariel's hand & dropped down three stories using Nathan's flight. He let go once he landed & moved away from her into the street of an on-coming convoy of armoured vehicles. Holding one hand up towards Ariel to prevent her from moving into the road with him, he raised his free hand & with a light flick, he sent the first three trucks flipping end over end back into the line. It caused the chaos he was looking for. Releasing Ariel, he ran forward into the fray as ISIS soldiers came pouring out of their transports to bring him down. He killed three of them by catching their own bullets fired at him with his force power & sending them right back to their unprotected heads. He went further into the line & disappeared.

Ariel finally ran forward, gun held out. She began firing at the wheels of a few trucks swerving around the disorder. One truck blew out both its front tires & tipped forward on the bumper before crashing back down. Ariel ignored it as she moved deeper into the confused fighting. She didn't watch where she was going, thinking Sylar was nearby keeping an eye on her. She took out two terrorists of her own before someone jumped at her from behind out of a passing truck. Ariel noticed too late that the back of the line-up had now caught up, but unlike their leaders, they weren't disrupted by Sylar's abilities.

Next moment, Ariel was dragged into the van & the door closed before she could catch her breath. Shouting at each other in Arabic, they sped off with her trapped in the back. Ariel nervously looked over her shoulder to see the last of the cars from the end catch up, leaving only the few that Sylar had destroyed behind. Where was he? Ariel looked ahead at the two in the front seats, still arguing while one was driving hard to the border. She crossed her arms, glaring at the one in the back with her, then remembered the tracking device Sylar had put on her. She was at first relieved he had done that, but then she suddenly figured it out.

Sylar had meant to cause some chaos. Sylar meant to suddenly just disappear, leaving her vulnerable. Sylar had used her as bait!

Ariel buried her face in both hands & whispered under breath in Hebrew, _"I will murder him!" _Did he even care about her at all? Who was she kidding? He was still Sylar even if he had changed his killing habits. Never to be trusted & like an idiot fangirl, she had let him have his way with her. She wasn't sure who she was mad at more right now: him or herself.

It was a long drive to wherever they were going. Ariel didn't bother fighting. They would kill her if she tried. They would do worse to her if she didn't but like it or not, she knew Sylar would be close behind. She glared at the man sitting across from her in the back. In Arabic, she snarled, _"I swear if you don't let me go, you're really going to regret it."_

The man laughed at her. _"I will regret it more if I do let you go." _He smiled wickedly, letting his eyes roam over her. _"We will put you to good use."_

Ariel held her arms tighter around her chest. Don't lose that bra! Switching to Hebrew, she muttered, _"You can't even imagine the horror that follows me!"_

She remained silent for the rest of the trip & soon. The man watching her dozed off. Though she could easily escape by becoming light, one thing Sylar said was true, it would attract unwanted attention to their inner ranks. Besides, he was coming after her anyway. There was no use telling her captors what was really going on. Their ilk deserved no less. She didn't even feel the least bit sorry for any of them. When the truck finally stopped, Ariel was roughly awakened by someone dragging her out by her hair. She landed hard on the ground. It was pitch black outside, the middle of the night. The man grabbed her again & hauled her along until they got to the door of the building they had stopped at. Once another had opened it, Ariel was thrown inside. She blinked hard in the bright lights shining from the ceiling.

They brought her down several levels. Ariel wasn't sure where they were by now but wasn't worried just yet. Sylar wouldn't be far behind. In the basement, she was thrown in with a group of about seven or eight other captives. All were female but her nieces weren't among them. The door closed & left them in a dim light. She heard the bolt lock.

After a few moments to make sure there was no one on the other side of the door, Ariel turned to the group. _"Alright," _she said in Hebrew. _"Everyone get away from the door."_

Ignoring confused looks, she hustled them all to the opposite end. In a few minutes, the door was clear. Ariel leaned against the wall & watched it. Soon, a yellow glow appeared under the door, illuminating the entire area. Ariel stood straight & checked over the others. _"He's here."_

A moment later, the door was wrenched off & thrown so hard against the other wall, it went right through. Sylar sauntered on in like he own the place. Ariel gasped. He was already drenched in blood. He came right for her.

They stared at each other, before suddenly, Ariel raised both hands, one to distract him & one to slap him as hard as she could across the face. Sylar seemed both surprised & amused that she had managed to hit him. "Is that any way to treat your rescuer?"

"You used me as bait!" Ariel accused.

"You just tricked me & managed to punch me," Sylar snickered. "Call us even. Let's go." He headed for the opening to lead them out.

"This isn't over!" Ariel shouted at his retreating back.

Sylar paused to look back at her. "You're right. It isn't. I'm just getting started." At that, he left without another word.

Ariel turned to the others. _"Do not go any where near him," _she began, using Hebrew once more. _"That man is the most dangerous person on the planet. He is however, on our side. Just get out & stay away from him. We don't want any accidents. There will be a few vehicles outside. Hide in any of those until we come for you. Anyone know how to navigate this place?"_

One woman raised her hand. _"This is an underground bunker but I've seen the exit more than once. We just can't get past the guards."_

"_He will clear the way."_

"_Who is he?"_

"_My boss,"_ Ariel answered. _"He runs a Kabbalist group in Haifa."_

The woman raised a brow. _"THAT one?"_ Ariel didn't answer. _"I'm in a group in Tel Aviv. We all know about it. Was that man who just came in here really S—"_

"_Don't use his name here!" _Ariel sharply interrupted. _"We don't want American attention. Now, you get them out. I'll go after the rabbi myself. I can handle him."_

Ariel left them to it as she ran after Sylar. She didn't need to know the way to follow him. The trail of blood was telling enough. What made her stop often was the silence. Why wasn't anyone screaming in the throes of death? Wondering if Sylar had managed to regain control of himself, she hurried up stairs stained red until she burst out into the lobby above ground. Through the glass wall separating it from another wide room, she could see Sylar searching through the shelves & the computer. She slowly moved inside with him.

Without even looking, Sylar grabbed her from across the room, pinning her against the glass-paned wall. Only then did he turn to look her over. Once he realized who he had grabbed, he released his power & let her drop to the floor. He went back to his search in silence. Ariel picked herself up & watched him for a bit. She noticed his phone was connected to the computer. He was downloading files.

"They're on the top floor," Sylar finally spoke. He turned to face her. "Sorry about the baiting but I knew the girls would not be in that procession. It was just a decoy. I figured the two groups would converge at some point so that's why I put a tracker on you. We would all end up in the same place." He looked around. "And what a place. I can get a lot of details on the ISIS here. Even some Hamas files. I might find the headquarters to either group soon enough. It will take a while to go through all of this when we get home."

"I'm a little impressed," Ariel replied coolly.

"Ohh," Sylar pouted. "You're still mad at me."

"A bit."

Sylar turned & shrugged pathetically. "Oops. Sorry."

Ariel failed to hide a laugh. "You can be so damned 'a-dork-able' when you want to be."

"A-dork-able?" Sylar laughed. He tried to get close to her.

Ariel put a forefinger on his chest & pushed. "Uh no. First of all, you're way too bloody for me. Secondly, I'm still mad at you." Sylar tried to lean forward to kiss her nose like a pathetic puppy but she pulled away. "Still so mad." Sylar rolled his eyes. Ariel moved away from him. "When will get my nieces?"

Sylar looked down at his phone by the computer. "Two minutes & thirty-eight seconds."

"Great," Ariel parked herself on the nearest chair. "I will stay mad at you for that long."

"Make up sex is the best," Sylar teased.

Ariel just groaned. "What time is it?"

"It's almost three in the morning."

"What?" Ariel exclaimed. "But Madaba is only a couple hours away from the river."

"We're well beyond Madaba," Sylar said. "Something happened to their airport," he added somewhat coyly. "I might have maybe dropped a plane or two in the runway. Shut down the place for a bit while they clear that mess."

"That will cause them some grief for a while," Ariel said. She waited for Sylar to disconnect the phone. He pulled up a map of the area & looked it over for a moment. "How did you know they wouldn't be in that transport?" She suddenly asked.

"They're killers, Ariel. I know how they think. I am one as well, just not based on race, ethnicity or religion." Ariel dropped her eyes. What kind of creature was she getting involved with? Sylar moved towards her. "I told you, didn't I? You would see me at my worst today & the worst," He put a finger under her chin to lift up her gaze to him. "It is yet to come." He marched past her & headed down the hall. Ariel took a moment to wipe her eyes before shifting to a beam of light & streaked after him.

When she caught up to him, Sylar was fighting a vault-like door, trying to wrench it open with his force power. It was thick & heavy, sealed not only by bolts & steel but also by sensors & computer algorithms. But it slowly began to bend to his will. She appeared beside him.

"You don't need to get it open," Ariel began. "Just spread the locks a bit. We can get through as light."

Sylar zoned in on the deadbolts & soon a crack appeared at the center. He watched the golden ray of Ariel's ethereal form shoot through & followed her a moment later. They landed together on stairs & Ariel began charging up them but Sylar dragged her back until he could grab her by his hands. He pushed her behind him.

"From now on, stay behind me," He ordered. "I can protect you if I know where you are." He started up the stairs, but stopped halfway up. "So long as you stay there, I will not grab you. I do not wish you any harm but do not get in my way. I'm about to go into a feeding frenzy up there."

"What about Gissel & Nechamie?" Ariel asked. "You could accidentally kill them."

"I don't think so," Sylar replied. "They would be tied down somewhere, or locked up nearby."

"Let me find them," Ariel said. "You can't grab my light form. I will cover them that way. You stay out of the light."

"That's a good idea," Sylar agreed. "Let me clear the way a bit. When I tell you to move, go ahead." He hurried up the stairs & threw the doors off their hinges without even touching them. Both entered into a large office-like room.

There was a group of men who jumped around in surprise, guns raised & firing. Sylar caught every bullet in mid-air. In an altered voice * , Sylar said, "Alright, which one of you wants to go first?"

One man ran at him so Sylar threw all bullets into him. The man dropped dead on the floor. "Next?" Sylar grinned as he looked around at his remaining victims who now seemed a little unsure of how to deal with him. He caught the farthest one, pressed him against the wall on the opposite side of the room & proceeded to scalp him. Ariel covered her ears as the man screamed. Sylar let the body drop. "I've missed this." He moved into the middle of the room, pulling something out of his pocket. Swinging his arm forward with a hard thrust, he physically gutted his next victim with a dagger while at the same time, another man clutched his own throat after Sylar had cut it using his ability.

Sylar moved forward, working his way across the room. He stepped into the river of blood, using it to slide across quickly to his next victim. His force power ripped through all the screens & computers, destroying their mass Intel they had gathered. He summoned wires to his hand & wrapped them quickly around the next man's neck then hoisted him up & left him to hang from an exposed beam in the ceiling. He stayed under the writhing body, letting the blood drip into his hair, while he pinned another man to the wall, using bits of the broken chairs & desks he had just ripped through. He lifted a single finger & cut the throat of the last man in the room. The door across from Ariel popped open.

"Go now!"

Ariel didn't move, still staring at the bloody scene before her. She had to cross over all that blood. Sylar still stood under the hanging body that was slowly becoming still, letting the shower of blood trickle over him.

"ARIEL!" Sylar bellowed at her. "NOW! I can only hold back for so long."

Ariel tore her eyes away from the mess. She shifted to a dazzling beacon of light & zoomed over the area. She found the two girls tied together on the floor & hovered over them, blinding their guard. She was about to change to cut them loose but she felt Sylar come forward. She made sure her light didn't cover the guard. Sylar picked the confused man up while being all the way on the other side & tossed him hard against the wall. With one finger, he cut through the forehead. Ariel tried to keep the girls blinded as much as possible until the world's greatest terror was through with his antics.

Sylar came to them & dropped to his knees, holding the knife in one hand. Using his force, he cut between the two teenage girls, severing their bonds from each other. He looked up at the covering yellow light & pushed both hands through his hair to shake off some blood. The blade of the knife was carefully held between his fingers. Ariel moved over to him until he could barely see through her brilliance. She appeared before him, standing between him & her nieces.

"I told you not to kill the way you usually do," She berated him.

"Would you relax?" Sylar said. "I looked at the map for the complex. Soon as you three get out & get the others away, I'm blowing it up with the gas pipes. There will be no evidence. It's going to look like an accident." He held out the knife. Ariel slowly took it from him & backed away. "I put a map into the van I left for you. Take them down & get out of here so the blast won't take you out. I'll meet you at the River Jordan on the way to Jericho."

She helped Gissel & Nechamie up, cut loose their final bonds & brought them away. Before passing through the door, she used the knife to cut large strips from her jacket & blindfolded both of them so they wouldn't see the visceral carnage left behind by Sylar & then led them out. The crucified man in the previous room was still suffering. He spoke in Arabic to her as she past, begging her to end him but she paid him no mind. He would be ended in a few minutes anyway once Sylar blew up the place.

Sylar watched from the window until he could see Ariel take charge of the only van he had left on its wheels in one of the outdoor spotlights. Once it was on its way well down the road, he shattered the window & jumped down several stories, landing lightly on the ground. A few moments later, the whole complex blew up in a raging fire that illuminated the night as he walked forward in the same direction. Once away from the heat, he took on his old Kestrel form & flew after the retreating truck.

From his height, Sylar could see the lights of various larger cities. The long beams of the headlights shone down the road under him. Flying straight, he reached the Jordan, sparkling in the moonlight like a glassy snake in the desert, before any one else & took the opportunity to dive into the muddy water. A red current soon flowed downriver. Sylar got out & sat on a large rock to dry out in the desert heat while he waited for the van to appear.

By the time Ariel drove into sight, it was already early morning. She pulled off to the side to park across from him & attempted to get out. The woman from Tel Aviv held her back, whispering in Hebrew. _"What are you doing Ariel?"_

"_I'm going to go talk to him," _Ariel returned, also in Hebrew.

"_Talk to him?! You'll get killed!"_

"_I'll be fine," _Ariel insisted. She got out, ignoring the other woman's whimpers. She slowly walked over to Sylar who had been watching her. Switching back to English, she spoke, "Well you're quite a sight."

"The clay in this river kind of stuck to me," Sylar replied with a lop-sided grin.

Ariel nodded as she looked him over. "I'd say it's an improvement." Sylar was covered in dried out mud & there was still a bit of blood worked into the mix.

Sylar got off the rock. "What about them?"

Ariel looked back at the vehicle. The woman she had left behind was staring wild-eyed at them. "We'll drive to Jericho & ditch the van. Tabitha will take care of the others. Some of them are Muslims from Jerusalem."

"They take their own kind?"

"Yes, quite often," Ariel replied sadly. "In Jerusalem, we have different quarters. Jews. Muslims. Christians. We all get along fine. It's the ISIS that give common Muslims a bad name, just like the Crusades of the Christians."

"With the files I gathered," Sylar picked up his phone. "Perhaps someday we can stop them."

Ariel gave him a strange look. "Yes," She finally said before heading back to the van. "We will."

Sylar shifted to the Kestrel once more & flew ahead. He landed in a tree close to the main road & tucked his head under a wing to sleep a bit until Ariel arrived. The sun climbed higher & it was getting hotter. Even in the tree, partially shaded among the branches, Sylar was soon finding it difficult to doze in the rising temperature & it didn't help his situation with the hardening mud either. He would no longer be able to fly unless he started getting it off. As he saw her van pull in to the parking lot, he went to work on his feathers while he waited for her.

Ariel parked once more & this time, everyone got out. Tabitha was last & she looked around for Sylar, looking straight at him as he perched in a nearby tree above some dromedaries & one camel, before coming out completely. Sylar casually continued preening as he waited to catch Ariel alone. No one knew he could change to animals yet, not even her.

The women soon came over & began taking the dromedaries. Sylar continued to preen, now trying to get the caked mud off his chest. Some of it crumbled & fell on Ariel. She looked up at him for a bit. Sylar shook himself, ruffling up the feathers. It loosened some more mud. Ariel rubbed it out of her eyes & moved away.

Tabitha eventually rode away with the others, leaving Ariel alone with Gissel & Nechamie. Sylar turned his back to them, spread the tail & began stroking the long pinions with his bill, waiting for them to leave so he could change back. While the younger girls amused themselves with the one & only camel among the group of remaining dromedaries, Ariel came to watch him preen.

Sylar paused, eyeing her with one eye before twisting his head to pull at some feathers on his back. Why won't she leave already?"

"Rabbi," Ariel said in a low voice. Sylar slowly lifted his head out of his feathers for a moment before catching himself. He tried preening a wing. "I know that's you."

Even as a bird, Sylar couldn't hide his shock. He lifted his head from his still-outstretched wing.

"No Kestrel is that dirty," Ariel laughed. She held up a hand. "Want to go home & have a real shower?"

Sylar slowly closed his wing & hopped into her hand.

Ariel moved away to some bushes & placed him on the ground behind them. "Did you pick that up from someone you just killed?" She asked in a whisper once he changed back.

"No," Sylar said. "I got it from one of the nightstalkers."

"Oh so that's why this ability isn't in your record," Ariel said. "You got it from the future."

"Yeah & I think it's one of my favorites," Sylar went on. "I could follow Noah every where & he didn't even know."

"So when you told Noah a little birdie told you," Ariel began. "You literally meant it."

"Pretty much," Sylar half-laughed.

"How are you feeling?" Ariel asked.

Sylar watched Gissel & Nechamie try to get the camel up. "Let's just say that was a long time in coming. Seventeen years worth of pent up energy." He took Ariel's hand & held it up between them. "Did I scare you back there?"

"A little."

"Good," Sylar let her go. "If you noticed, I killed in just about every single way I used to do. Let you see it all."

"Why?"

"Because THAT is what we have to tell Noah," Sylar said. "That is what I've been struggling with for a few years now." He headed towards the camel. "Come. I should beam us over to your home no—whoa! Easy!" The camel had leapt to its feet & was now staring Sylar down.

Ariel fought back a laugh. "I think you startled it."

"It's a habit of mine," Sylar muttered.

"Have you ever ridden one of these?"

"No I've never been on any type of riding animal."

"What? Really? Not even a horse?"

Sylar hesitated. "A horse. Uh, that's complicated."

"Horse riding isn't complicated," Ariel disagreed. "Camels are similar."

"No I mean," Sylar rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "Ok technically, I've never been on any riding animal. Born & raised in New York. I've never been around farm animals. But I have also had plenty of horse riding lessons so to speak, thanks to Nathan Petrelli."

Ariel stared at him. "Are you saying Nathan was a friend of yours?"

"No," Sylar said. "Something happened. The day he died & the day he actually died are two different days." He explained. "So while I have never been riding, I could probably ride a horse easily since both of them had lessons." He grumbled under breath. "Peter is the better rider. But it's the only area where he can best me!"

"Those last few months of Nathan's politics was you?"

"Yes," Sylar replied. "Not even I knew what the heck was going on. Took me a while to figure it out. Get my body back under control. Literally pull myself together. Then the truth came out about me killing Nathan. Peter crucified me for it."

"What?"

"Oh yes he did & that bastard enjoyed every single moment of it too," Sylar complained. "I hate him!"

Ariel laughed & shook her head. Nechamie, the older of the two, held out the reins to him. "You can ride her."

"We don't have to ride," Sylar said. "I can take the three of you home in an instant."

"I think it would be hilarious to see you ride one of these," Ariel said. Sylar glared at her. "Think about it. Did Peter ever ride one? You could do something he probably would never think to try."

"You love blackmail, don't you?" Sylar snarled through gritted teeth. Anyone else would try to run in terror but Ariel just turned away, laughing. "Fine. Get me on the damn thing! Now do I sit on one of the bumps or in between?"

"Since this is your first time, you might be safer in between," Ariel said. She held the animal steady while Sylar hoisted himself up, then got onto a dromedary all by herself. "You two stay right here," She spoke to her nieces. "We'll only be a—GABRIEL NO! Uh oh."

Sylar had just kicked the camel like a horse & the thing took off, grunting & bellowing. "THIS IS NOTHING LIKE RIDING A HORSE!"

"Ohh no!" Ariel could do nothing but watch as the beast stampeded right through a tent & then balked in front of a watering hole. (It was at this precise nanosecond that Sylar knew he was screwed. Royally!) Next moment, Sylar was flipped sideways & landed dead center of the hole, splashing water in all directions. Ariel jumped off her own steed & ran to help him out. "Now you really need a shower!"

"Yes I do!"

"Are you ok?" Ariel gasped for air. "Hang on. Let me get the camel!"

"You do that," Sylar silently reminded himself to not kill Ariel or there would be no more sexy time for him for a while.

It took some time to catch & secure the camel that was now agitated enough to spit, help with resetting the tent & then find a place out of sight where the four of them could grab each other's hands so Sylar could pull them through space & ended up in Ariel's home in Jerusalem. Ariel left Sylar alone in the living room for a moment as she brought the two girls back to their mother who was in the kitchen at the time.

A few minutes later, Ariel returned to the living room. "We're going to bring them to the hospital to get them checked out. Why not have a shower while we're out?"

Sylar saw himself in the mirror. He really was a mess & the suit was most certainly ruined. "I think I will."

"Will you still be here when we get back?"

Sylar silently regarded her before asking in a low voice, "Do you want me here when you're back?"

"I think I would like that," Ariel answered. "Maybe we could go out to get something to eat later."

"Then I'll be here," Sylar said. After Ariel left, he changed to the Kestrel & transported to his own home. After quickly checking around to make sure Noah wouldn't see him, Sylar went inside to find a note on the table from Noah. He was out with Jason for the day. He put the note aside & headed upstairs.

Once the two girls were in the office with a doctor, Devorah grabbed Ariel's hand & hauled her outside. She marched to the car & leaned on it for a moment, then rounded on Ariel. _"Are you sleeping with him?"_

Ariel stared at her. _"We literally just did that once. Yesterday."_

"_You slept with Sylar on Sabbath on top of it all?"_

"_There's nothing wrong with sex on Sabbath. Just can't enter a synagogue without a proper cleansing."_

"_Depends who you talk to,"_ Devorah said. She shook her head. _"I can not believe you would do something like that! You DO know what Sylar is, right?"_

"_He's my boss,"_ Ariel said. _"I've known him for many years. He's the one Shlomo was looking for."_

"_Working with him is one thing,"_ Devorah said. _"But to get involved with him like that? Are you insane?"_

"_You haven't been with him like I have. You don't know him like I do."_

"_Thank God for that!" _Devorah retorted. _"Wait. Are you in love with him?"_

_"With the man, Gabriel, not Sylar the power!" _

_"What difference does that make?"_

_"It makes all the difference in the world!"_ Ariel insisted.

_"Unbelievable!" _Devorah just shook her head. _"You've gone & fallen for him. Flipped head over heels!"_

"_So what if I have? It's my life!"_

"_A life he can take at any time!"_

"_He's not like that any more."_

"_Sylar is notorious for his blood-thirsty rampages! That doesn't just stop."_

"_No, it didn't," _Ariel admitted. _"It took him a while to get his power sorted. But with Shlomo's help, he was able to do it for the sake of his son. Gabriel regrets what happened."_

"_That doesn't bring them back."_

"_Neither does constantly dredging up his past to shove it in his face," _Ariel retorted. _"He is trying to move beyond that & is doing a very good job on it too."_

"_How did you get Nechamie back? Gissel? Hmm? How did you do that with his help?"_

"_We raided an ISIS bunker."_

"_Did he kill any one?"_

"_Of course," _Ariel said. _"So did I! So what? They're just terrorists."_

"_For you, they are," _Devorha said. _"But what if it gives him a taste of his old life? You want to unleash Sylar on the world again?"_

"_Know what? I'm glad you brought that up," _Ariel said. _"Gabriel said he could take them out. He had never participated in warfare before. It might actually be good for him to keep him away from murder in the streets."_

"_Oh listen to yourself!"_

"_There's more," _Ariel plowed on. _"I think I figured out what Shlomo saw in him. I think Gabriel might be the one."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You know. The one!" _Ariel repeated. _"The one to put an end to all this. Gabriel said he could do it once he knew where the headquarters were. I think Shlomo saw that."_

"_From what I hear of Rabbi Gray, & I use the word Rabbi loosely, he is an atheist," _Devorah pointed out. _"Neither does he seem to have any Jewish history. He can not be the one, Ariel!"_

"_Beliefs change, history is lost."_

"_Bah! Stupid girl. You are blinded by more than your ability!" _Devorah pushed away from the hood of the car. _"Do not come haunting me if he ends up killing you!"_

"_Fine." _Ariel gave up arguing. She watched Devorah go back into the hospital before turning away & switching to her light form to get back home before Devorah came up with something else to argue about concerning Sylar. She filtered into the half open window of her bedroom & reflected in her long mirror standing in the opposite corner.

The mirror soon showed another figure coming up to it. Sylar checked over its frame which seemed to glow a little & his own reflection was dull in the bright light. "Ariel?"

The mirror quickly returned to normal as a statue of light suddenly stood between it & Sylar a moment before Ariel appeared. "I'm way too tired to be arguing with my sister right now," Ariel began. "So I left before either of us said something we'd regret."

"She doesn't like me too much, does she?"

"She'll get over it," Ariel insisted. "She just doesn't know you like I do right now."

"Right now?" Sylar echoed softly, moving closer to her. He kissed her, pushing her back towards the bed until both collapsed onto it. He looked down into her eyes. "We have the house alone for a bit don't we?"

"...Gabriel."

He silenced her with another kiss, slowly working one hand between them to start undressing her. Her top was soon cast to the floor. Sylar pushed the bra away & held himself up over her, with his hands over her exposed breasts. He slowly lowered himself down onto her for a moment, sucking on her left nipple as both began to work on stripping him next.

Ariel ran her hand up his back, feeling the soft fine velvet of his jacket before pushing it off. She moved up a bit on the bed while he removed the last bit of clothing before lying on her once more. Sylar rolled them both over, putting her on top. He let her have her way with him, working against his desire. He pushed up into her, feeling himself shake with an almost insatiable lust for flesh. It was as strong as his need for blood & he had given into both literally over night.

He eventually pushed hard enough to turn them back & now he had complete control of Ariel as he held her under him once more. She had her head back over the edge a little, exposing her throat. Sylar looked down over her & was suddenly caught in two battles, desperately hoping to win only one of them. He leaned down to kiss her neck, her jawline, moving up to her forehead. All places to kiss or to cut. He was aroused again in more than one way. No, he did not want to kill her! Or did he? Blood was another need of his. He had to remind himself there were plenty of terrorists to kill. Leave Ariel alone! He focused hard on the edge of paradise. But was he to gain entry through the pleasure of the woman under him, or her blood on his hands?

"OW! Gabriel don't move!" Ariel suddenly yelped. He froze, half-terrified if he had started cutting into her without thinking. Ariel sat up as best possible with him still on her. "Ohh do I feel stupid right now. My hair is caught on something."

Sylar tried to sit up & pull his hands away, only to make her yelp again. It was then he realized what she was caught on. The only thing he was still wearing for he never took it off. The old Sylar watch. The scar he kept as a reminder of what he could become. "It's my watch," Sylar tried not to laugh as he reached over with his free hand to disentangle it from her thick hair. Once he got free, he could barely look Ariel in the eyes before burying his face into her breasts as he burst out laughing.

"Who the hell wears a freaking watch while they're having sex?" Ariel sobbed.

"Me apparently!" Sylar put a hand between her soft black mounds to rub his own eyes. He wasn't sure if he was crying from laughing or from relief. That bloody (literally) watch had most likely just saved Ariel's life. He did not want her dead. His power demanded blood. But he was now in control & he alone could choose who died. He sighed & raised his face from her chest."It doesn't even work any more. I never did finish fixing it."

"Why do you keep it then?"

Sylar pushed himself up to sit back on her hips to tell her the whole story of it. "By now, the Sylar company doesn't exist any more. They changed everything & got rid of this brand because of me. There are only about three thousand Sylar watches out there, including mine."

"I often wondered how you got the name Sylar."

"I knew I was about to do something I never did before, something evil," Sylar said. "I wasn't quite sure what at that moment, but sheer instinct told me I had to protect myself first. Next thing I knew, I did my first kill & was able to do this," He lifted the blanket right off them without touching it. "Ever since." He let the cover fall over them again. He went down onto her, feeling her firm breasts squished against his chest. "You ok?" He asked softly.

Ariel stroked his back a few times. "Depends what you mean," She replied, wiggling her hips to make him move again.

"Well, if that's what you want," Sylar smiled slyly.

When they finally came together, Sylar lay back & pulled her onto his chest. They were soon both asleep. The sun was low by the time they woke up again over an hour later. It cast a ray through the window over them. He lifted his watch-hand into the light to look at the thing for a moment. Ariel sat up & let the blankets drop back, allowing the sun to strike his uncovered body. She looked him over before lying next to him once more with her head on his chest.

"Just realized something," Ariel suddenly spoke. "You're not cut."

Sylar lowered his hand. "I hope not. I could use some blood again, but I don't want to kill you."

"No no," Ariel giggled into his chest for a moment. "I mean, you're not cut."

"Alright, ya lost me."

Ariel raised her face to look at him. "You definitely weren't born Jewish. All Jewish boys get snipped in their first week of life."

"Yeah I know," Sylar replied, still not getting it. Then suddenly, he got it. "Oh my God! Ok maybe I should kill you! Was that what you were doing a moment ago? Checking to see if I was circ-ed?" Ariel rolled away, laughing. "Get back here!" Sylar pulled her back. Both fell into the pillows, giggling like idiots. "What am I going to do with you?" Sylar groaned, still laughing at the same time.

Ariel crossed her arms over his chest. "It's been almost a whole day since either of us had anything to eat. It's quiet out there. I could show you around Jerusalem. Come out with me?"

"Sure."

She got out of bed & began getting dressed. Sylar laid back to enjoy the view for a bit before doing the same. Ariel opened the door & led him out through the house. They found Devorah sitting by the bay window of the living room, reading. The sisters shared a look before Devorah's eyes shifted to Sylar.

"Rabbi," She acknowledged his presence, though it was obviously a hard thing to do.

"Ma'am," Sylar was equally stiff about it, knowing he deserved her disapproval.

"We're going out to get something to eat," Ariel interjected before either of them could continue. "I'll be back later."

"Alright," Devorah raised one brow for a moment as Ariel grabbed Sylar's hand & pulled him out the door.

They stepped into a bright reddish setting sun. A hot desert wind blew through the streets as Ariel moved along them with ease, showing him her ancient city. She ducked into a darkened alley & shifted to light. As she streaked away, Sylar switched to his own light form & followed her. Both blended into the sun's rays & passed by unseen. Ariel soon reappeared in a dark garden. Sylar dropped beside her a moment later.

"This one is more for you," Ariel ran up some steps & leaned over a wall. "That's the Via Dolorosa."

Sylar stared down at the route for a long time. He slowly backed away from the railing. "I never thought...I mean, of course I heard of it but to actually be here. Shlomo said He existed."

"Of course He did," Ariel said. "Caused us a lot of grief back then. Sorry. I'm just saying, most of us don't think much about Him other than the Christians' God."

"Yeah, I know most Jews don't consider Him the Messiah."

Ariel moved closer to him. "We're still waiting for ours." She was giving him that odd sort of look again.

It dawned on Sylar of what she was implying. "Ariel?" He reached out to her but she had already changed & shot away, bouncing off windows of glass as she went. He went after her.

He found her by the Eucalyptus but before he could say anything, she had already gone inside. He followed her in. Ariel was already sitting at the table & he was ushered to her side. "You should try the Maklubah," she said the moment he sat down across from her.

"This is by reservation," Sylar said. "How long have you planned this?"

"Yearly," Ariel said. "It's Shlomo's birthday. We used to meet up here every year. Same table to."

"So this Maklubah is his favorite dish & you want me to try it?"

"No, it's mine & yes," Ariel answered. "His favorite was the Ingeria, which I'm getting so you can still try it." She paused while the waiter poured out two glasses from the blue bottle sitting on ice by their table. "Moscato is usually something we have with friends over the Sabbath," she went on after they were left alone again.

"Not bad," Sylar tried it. "Kind of reminds me of that drink Noah brought home one day. Jason had given him some. Oh did I ever have to scrap that kid off the ceiling. It was before his power developed."

"Ohh let me guess," Ariel snickered. She waited until their plates were placed before them before finishing. "Was it Kedem?"

"I don't know," Sylar replied. "But he was bat shit crazy for a day!"

Ariel was crying again. She wiped her eyes. "Yup. That sounds like Kedem. It's basically a crack alcoholic drink for our kids. It was probably mixed with a little too much Fresca."

"I'm just glad he can't ever get drunk again," Sylar said. "It's not pretty. Too bad he doesn't remember it. Too young I guess."

"Why can't he get drunk again? Some rule of yours?"

"Not me, it's his ability," Sylar explained.

They talked of abilities for a while. It eventually led into the topic of their Kabbalah clan. Slowly they got around to discussing what to do with the files Sylar had downloaded, ultimately deciding to send copies of it all to the current Israeli Prime Minister. Thoughts of any Messiah were forgotten at the time.

It was almost two hours later before they left. Night was in full cover over Jerusalem; though, the city itself was still lit in the street from the various places still open. Ariel & Sylar ended up walking down one of the main roads through the city. Sylar pulled her aside & held her close.

"Thank you for this Ariel," He murmured. "It's been a long while since I had a good time like this."

"How is your blood lust?"

Sylar closed his eyes. "It will always be there but I own it now. I just have to train my mind to accept the fact that our targets are different now."

"You've come down a very long road, Gabriel."

"I still have a long way to go," Sylar replied softly. "I am walking my own Via Dolorosa, but the cross I carry is invisible. This damn power I was born with & unlike His, mine will never go away."

Ariel looked into his eyes. "I hope some day it will go away, for your sake." Sylar pulled her close to kiss her. They broke apart abruptly as someone interrupted them.

"Another kike lover," the intruder snarled.

"Excuse me?" Sylar glared, pulling Ariel behind him.

"You people are all the same," the man went on. "You'll all get what you deserve."

Sylar took a step forward. "Do you have any idea who I am?" He shoved the man back into the street without even touching him. "I am Sylar!" The man glared at him for a moment before running away.

"Gabriel, you shouldn't have!" Ariel berated him.

"He shouldn't have used such language."

"Just let it go," Ariel took his hand as she looked into his eyes. Sylar was suddenly illuminated before her as a starburst exploded behind him in the sky. For a split second, both thought of fireworks until they looked around just in time to see another burst. Rockets! The air raid siren was suddenly blaring.

"Oh no!" Ariel gasped. "They've gotten some past the Iron Dome. We must get to a shelter!" She grabbed his hand & together, they ran for it.

Another rocket landed in the building up ahead, sending shards of stone raining down. Sylar pulled Ariel down to the ground & covered her with his own body. He felt several large pieces hit the ground nearby. They got up & ran again. Ariel turned into an alley & headed down with Sylar close behind. Another blast sealed the part they had just run through.

"Over here!" Ariel ran into the open. She turned back to wait for Sylar. "Come on hurry!" She pushed him forward towards the open bomb shelter. Sylar jumped down the flight of stairs.

Ariel followed him towards the bunker. She dropped to her knees as another volley shot over head. One landed in the street behind them & she felt the blast as it knocked her forward. She got up & looked around. Several lay dead around her. She saw some movement & picked up a small child out of the mess.

"Ariel! What are you doing?" Sylar shouted at her from the edge of the bunker. "We're going to close it now. Come on!"

Ariel just looked at him & then threw the child hard into the air towards him. Sylar barely had time to think as he came out of the bunker & grabbed the young girl with his power. He turned & dropped her into the shelter, then slammed the lid, shutting himself out. He couldn't die so he didn't exactly need to be in it. But Ariel could! He had to stay near her to keep her safe. He ran to her side, catching a rocket in midair & throwing it far back into the sky where it exploded.

"Get down!" Sylar pulled Ariel under him again.

"Why didn't you get in the bunker?" Ariel demanded.

"I can get hurt but I can't die remember?" Sylar said. "You can!"

The air raid suddenly stopped. Gunfire could be heard in the streets. A ground attack. Sylar pushed Ariel back, away from the road.

"Are they coming here?" Ariel asked.

Sylar waited as he listened to the sound of fighting, growing ever louder. "Yes! Stay behind me." he looked back at her. "I guess it's another round of killing for me."

"Remember you're in control!" Ariel said.

Sylar turned back to the road just in time to see three large vehicles come speeding down while their occupants fired machine guns from each window. Sylar caught the bullets & let them drop in front of him. He flipped over the first van, sending it crashing into the one behind. The third one careened out of control to avoid the mess, only to slam into a stone wall & explode, setting off a machine gun as it burst into flames. Several of the bullets struck Sylar before the gun disintegrated in the heat. Sylar leaned forward, hands on knees as the regen pushed out five bullets & healed. He slowly stood up once more. The bombs & fires lit the area as bright as day & he could see the bodies of those who didn't make it to any of the shelters.

"...Gabriel..."

Sylar turned to find Ariel standing behind him, slightly hunched over, her hands pressed to her breasts. Her eyes were wide as if she were in shock, or pain, or both. He didn't need his power to understand what happened. "No. No no no!" Sylar ran to catch her as she tipped forward. "NO! Ariel!" He went to the ground with her. She was gasping for breath now. He could hear a low gurgling as her lungs filled with her own blood. "Ariel, you're going to be alright. I can fix this. I'll just go back in time a few minutes. I'll get you."

"No."

"Ariel! I can save you."

"But you'll kill a child," Ariel replied weakly. "Either the girl I saved, or Noah."

"Ariel!"

"Don't change the timeline!" Ariel pleaded. "We've got to keep Noah safe."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine," Ariel whispered. "There is another life Gabriel. I can see it already. I'll find you. On the other side of eternity."

"Even if there is," Sylar said between tears. "There is no place for me. Punishment for what I have done."

"I'll put in...a good word," Ariel gasped. She suddenly looked at him. Her eyes started to glaze over. "I ...know...what you...are."

Sylar looked down at her, lying in his arms, waiting for her to say what she meant. But she was gone forever now. Yet somehow, he knew what she thought he was. He held her up close, pressing their foreheads together. "I am not the one. How can I be?"

* * *

* From season 1 of Heroes, Sylar & Peter both seem to have this altered voice.


	16. Chapter 16

**(16) Slasher**

He held her down on the ground. Bombs burst over head. The guns went off. The fighting went through the night. But he was oblivious to all of it. Ariel, one of a precious few he truly cared about, was dead & unlike Claire, this woman he could not get back. He didn't know how long they lay there amidst the war raging around them. He laid Ariel neatly on the ground & sat back on his heels. Eyes closed, he turned his face to the sparkling sky filled with dying rockets. "Why?" He growled through gritted teeth. "Just bloody why? Is she not one of your own people?! You keep this up & I'll go back to America & rip her apart! State from state from state! Is that what you want? To drive me mad? AGAIN?" He laughed mirthlessly. "You know what she thought about me!"

He continued to kneel beside her, staring over her body at nothing. He barely noticed the silence that had fallen around him after the fight died down. His own heart was pounding. His birth power was screaming for blood & for the first time, it was agreeing with him on his new plan on who to kill. But he didn't dare leave her side. He had to get her body home. She would want to be buried before the sun set on this day. He continued to stare across the bloodstained road.

A soft shhh—ing sound from behind made him dive forward. He felt the slash across his back. Better that than the neck for a beheading was one way to end a regenerator permanently. Sylar rolled sideways as his attacker screamed & tried to behead him again. He forgot he had powers. He forgot he could feel pain. All he knew was that he was going to make this one responsible for Ariel's death & kill him. Sylar jumped up & caught the blade with both hands. He wrenched it out of his opponent's grip & in a yell of rage, he swung the curved scimitar around. The head went flying & the blood Sylar so desperately needed came showering down over him. He let the blade fall & stumbled back to her, dropping to his knees beside her once more.

"Ariel!" Sylar put a hand through her hair one last time. "Let's go home, girl. I'll take you home." He teleported them to her house & laid her on the floor in the living room. He dropped into the same chair Devorah was sitting in only hours before & waited for her to return from hiding.

It wasn't for another two hours before Devorah returned with her daughters. Sylar stood up as they entered & froze in the doorway at the sight. _"I did not kill her,"_ he said quickly in Hebrew. _"We ran for the bomb shelter. She went back to save a child. She didn't make it."_

Devorah glared at him. _"I-it's still your fault!"_ She said. _"If she hadn't been dating you, or working with you, she would not have gone out. She would still be here."_

Sylar looked away. _"Yes I suppose that's true. I never wanted this to happen to her!"_

"_It's too late! It's done,"_ Devorah replied in a shaky voice as Nechamie & Gissel softly wept behind her.

"_I know your people wish to be buried the same day,"_ Sylar said. _"Do you need help?"_

"_Yes but not from you!"_

Sylar lowered his eyes to look upon Ariel one last time. He realized then that it was unlikely he would be able to go to her funeral, at least not as a human. _"I know I scare you, Devorah. But I am not that monster from New York any more."_

"_It isn't that I fear you,"_ Devorah said. _"It's a lot more personal. You took someone from me back then. Do you remember Isaac Mendez?"_ Sylar gasped under breath & looked up at her. _"So you do. His father was a good friend of mine. You killed his son, Isaac."_

"_Ohh! Wow!"_ Sylar exclaimed. _"Devorah if I had known! I would not have come here."_ He held up his hands, still stained with blood from both Ariel & the terrorist he had beheaded. _"I was out of control back then. But I own my power now. All of them."_

Devorah looked at his hands as fresh blood dripped from them._ "So it would seem."_

Sylar noticed the red visceral liquid. _"This is mostly hers,"_ he nodded at Ariel lying near his feet. _"Also some ISIS terrorists that we don't need."_ He lowered his hands. _"I won't bother you again. I'm going home now."_ He disappeared on the spot & landed in the entrance hall of his own beach home without thinking.

Sylar wandered aimlessly into the living room & collapsed on the couch. He put his head forward into his hands & lost all sense of his surroundings for a while.

"Dad? What the—Why are you covered in blood?"

Sylar looked up into his son's eyes. Noah felt his breath catch as he took in the wild predatory look about his father. Sylar thought hard. He was caught now. Sort of. Maybe not. Or maybe did it matter any more? Perhaps now would be as good a time as any to tell him. What he did, what he could do. "It's not my blood." was all he could say.

"Right. That's nice. Next question! Why are you covered in blood?"

Sylar shook his head, letting the opportunity go by. "There was an attack in Jerusalem. Ariel was gunned down." He looked at Noah. "She's dead."

"Oh," Noah lost his defensiveness & sat down on the arm of the couch. "Sorry about that. I know she wasn't your girlfriend, but you were close with her."

Sylar smiled at Noah for a short time. "Actually she became my girlfriend on Sabbath. Right before we got her nieces back."

"Oh really? Well I can't say I'm surprised," Noah said. "How are her nieces?"

"They're still alive," Sylar said. "Ariel & I had gone out yesterday. The raid happened then."

"It seems to be getting worse in Jerusalem." Noah said.

"Yeah, it's getting worse," Sylar stated. "I better get this cleaned up."

"Let me do it," Noah offered. "You should go have a shower."

"Noah, you shouldn't have to."

"It's fine," Noah said. "You'd just make things worse right now. You should take care of yourself."

"Alright," Sylar gave up.

Noah stood up. "Oh, look I didn't know when you'd come back. Jason is coming over for breakfast."

"That's fine Noah," Sylar said. "He's basically family now. Do you think you'll get married?"

"Dad," Noah rolled his eyes. "Go wash up!"

"Right," Sylar teleported to the bath so as not to spread the blood all over the house.

He didn't just have a shower. He filled the bath & lay back, letting the blood rinse out. He slipped under the water so his hair could soak clean. The water was a bright pink by the time he was done. Sylar watched it drain, realizing he had just bathed in blood, something he had never done before. He dried off & got dressed, then shifted to the Kestrel before transporting back to Jerusalem. He dug his talons into the stone frame of the window of the synagogue where Ariel's funeral was held & then flew from a distance as he followed them to the cemetery. Once she was buried & those left behind had gone away, he perched on her tombstone, tucked his head under a wing & fell asleep. Alone over her grave.

Noah glanced around at the bloody mess. Fortunately, they used covers on most of their furniture to help with Aviv's shedding. He pulled it all off & tossed it in the washing, then put the spare covers on. Next, he quickly went to work on the hallway floor. Jason opened the door a few minutes later.

"Uh what's going on?" Jason asked as he carefully pushed the door aside & noticed blood on the floor.

"Dad got caught up in a raid in Jerusalem," Noah answered. "Ariel's been killed."

"Oh no!" Jason gasped. "How is he?"

"I don't think he is doing as well as he seems," Noah said, rinsing the mop.

"This stuff's starting to dry," Jason pointed out. "Do you have something to get it off?"

"I suppose there'd be something in the garage," Noah said. He whistled for Aviv & headed out the door.

"Did your Dad get hurt as well?" Jason asked as he followed. "Looks like he lost some blood or something."

"Even if he did get hurt, he'd be healed by now," Noah shrugged. "I think it's Ariel's blood." He opened the side door to the garage part way. "Jason. You should have seen him when I walked into the living room earlier. There is a lot more blood than what you saw. A lot more. He was covered in it." He turned to look at Jason. "You know those slasher films we like to watch? I felt like I had walked onto the stage of one of those. He looked like the main killer in those movies."

"Must have been a lot of bombs blowing people up around him," Jason tried. "I've seen it happen. It's a bloody mess."

"Yeah I know," Noah replied absent-mindedly. Inwardly though, he couldn't get the image out of his head. His father fit the role of the murderer so well it seemed, but why? Noah moved beyond the car & crossed the second parking space where the Buell *, a motorbike his father had recently gotten for himself once he had handed the car over to Noah, was resting under cover to the far wall & opened the first two cupboards. "We need something strong like a bleach or something similar."

"I'll check in this one," Jason tried to open the next door. "I think it's locked. Where's the key?" He waited for a long moment. "Noah? Hello?"

Noah was staring at the locked cupboard, unaware of Jason's attempt to reach him. Jason resorted to smacking Noah upside the head to get him to snap out of it. "What?" Noah glared at him.

"The key?" Jason gestured to the locked cupboard.

"Jason, I don't know," Noah said. "I'm looking at that cupboard now & realize, it's always been locked. Never thought of it before now." Jason looked around & started for the motorbike. "What are you doing?" Noah asked as Jason pulled off the cover.

"Getting the key," Jason replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I wouldn't know where to look," Noah said as Jason opened the seat of the bike & pulled out a set of keys. "Or we could just try those." Noah stared in surprise.

"He probably thought you'd never bother with the bike," Jason came back & picked a random key from the chain. There were only five & two were for the bike. The one Jason tried turned out to be the spare for the car. Noah told him to skip the house key so Jason tried the last one. The door opened easily. Both looked in, only to find themselves rather disappointed.

"There's nothing in here," Noah said. Jason tapped him on the chest a few times & then pointed upwards. There was one thing there, a box on the top shelf. Noah took it down & put it on the floor between them. Both sat cross-legged across from each other as Noah pulled the lid off. Inside was a pile of papers. Noah grabbed them & pulled them out.

"Disney land?" Jason picked up the stub of the old ticket.

"We went to both," said Noah. "Here's the receipts for the hotels we stayed in. He kept everything."

"You don't sound so sure."

"Jason, it's all in my name," Noah held out some of the receipts. "Look. Noah Gray. Not even my full name. Just my first & last." He rifled through the pile. "Dad's name isn't here. It's all me! Jason I didn't pay for anything. Why would he do this?"

"Probably to build up your credit," Jason replied, unconcerned. "My parents are doing it with me so when I turn eighteen, it will be much easier to get a credit card."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah it's a great idea," Jason nodded. "What's this?" He picked up a collection of papers stapled together. "Looks like names."

"Yeah," Noah scanned over the first paper. "Brian Davis. Deceased. Trevor Zaitlen. Deceased. James Walker, Zane Taylor, all deceased."

"All of them?" Jason took the papers & looked through them. "You're right! All deceased." His eyes frantically skimmed the list. "Um, Noah? What is your full name again?"

"Noah Petrelli Bennet Gray."

"Petrelli!" Jason gasped. "Look!" He turned the pages back & pointed at a name.

"Nathan Petrelli?" Noah stared. He gasped suddenly, clapping one hand to his mouth.

"What?" Jason asked. "Do you know him?"

"Jason! Dad's name is Gabriel Gray," Noah began. "Not Bennet, not Petrelli. Jason?" Noah slowly put the pages down beside the box. "I think maybe...Oh my God! I'm adopted!"

"No way!" Jason exclaimed.

"Then why do I have names my father does not?" Noah insisted. "Nathan is dead. Dad said my mother died in an explosion. I think my whole family died like that & I'm pretty sure Dad caused the explosion!"

"WHAT?"

"Yes, I've been thinking that for years," Noah said, explaining what he had come up with.

Jason stared at the pages for a long time. "If you're right, then know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think your Dad killed all these people."

Noah burst out laughing. "Oh come on! Dad wouldn't hurt a fly. I said he only looked like the killer in a slasher movie. It wasn't his fault Jerusalem got bombed."

"Exactly," Jason said. "Not his fault. But maybe this explosion that killed your mother, took all of these out. They might have been at a party together & something happened. You say you think he caused the blow up."

"Yeah but I'm sure it was accidental," Noah said. "But it would explain a lot. He must feel so guilty about it. Probably why he took me in."

"How do YOU feel?" Jason stared at him. "What if you're right & you were adopted?"

"So what if I am?" Noah said. "He's the only father I've ever known. He raised me. Family is more than blood."

"Have you ever spoken to him about that explosion?"

"No, not really," Noah shook his head. "It involves Mom & he still misses her too much to talk yet. But he did say he would tell me some day."

"I hope that's soon," Jason pulled out some more papers from the box. One slipped out & half-fell in. He picked it up. It was a picture of a blonde girl dressed in a cheerleader's uniform. "Who is this?" He flipped the picture over but the back was blank.

"I don't know," Noah took it for a moment. "She sure is beautiful." He stared into her eyes. There was an almost instant connection but he couldn't understand why. "I wonder if she is on that list?"

Jason looked it over once more. "Hmm, there's an Elle Bishop here. She's deceased as well. Dale Smithers. Deceased. Jackie Wilcox. Deceased. Bridget Bailey, Sue Landers. Noah, if that girl is on here, she's dead!"

"So is my mom," Noah replied softly, still lost in the girl's gaze. "One of those names is definitely my mother. Jason!" He tore his eyes away from her. "This is my mother! I know it! It has to be her!"

Jason took the picture back. "Know what? I think you're right. I can see some similarities."

"I finally know what she looked like."

"We should take this to your Dad."

"NO!" Noah began cramming everything into the box. He took one last long look at Claire's picture before putting it in on top & then slammed the lid on it. "No! We can't bring this up!"

"But Noah!"

"Don't you understand?" Noah cut him off. "It would tear him apart if he knew what we just did! He was very much in love with my mother. I can tell. He said he would talk to me some day. I gotta wait! I'm just glad I know what she looks like." He glared at the cover of the box as he took a moment to catch his breath. He noticed something written by hand across the top. It was a line of numbers. 05/19/7280. It was the American way of writing out dates numerically but no such year existed yet so it had to be something else.

Noah put the box away & slammed the door shut. "Put the keys back!" He ordered as he snapped closed the lock, then rested his forehead on the door. "Jason? This never happened. Okay? Promise me, don't bring it up with him around. Not yet." He looked up at the ceiling. "Oh God! Why do I feel like we opened Pandora's box?"

"Alright, alright!" Jason said. "Let's just calm down. It never happened. There!" He pulled the Buell cover on again & smoothed it out. "See? All back to normal."

"Yeah," Noah whispered, feeling as if nothing would ever be normal again. He couldn't get the picture of the girl who, he was sure, was his mother & he couldn't stop thinking about the numbers written on the lid. One half of his brain told him it was an Americanized date of his own birthday, May nineteenth, while the other reminded him that no such year would exist for a while & that he was born almost eighteen years ago, in 2009.

Jason came up behind Noah & wrapped his arms around him. He quickly kissed the back of Noah's neck. It seemed to have a calming effect for now. "Hey why don't we go get some breakfast?"

"Okay," Noah took Jason's hand & allowed himself to be pulled along. When they were almost at the house, Noah let go. "We forgot the cleaner." He started running back to the garage.

"Great, now it's going to be really dried on," Jason rolled his eyes.

Noah made sure to stay focused on finding the bleach & he proceeded to pour it on the floor to soak while they had something to eat. Aviv refused to come inside for the strong fumes hurt his nose. Noah & Jason had to open up the entire bottom floor. They finished it off after breakfast, then fell back on the couch.

"Noah? Don't ever dump an entire bottle of bleach on the floor again!"

"I did no such thing! Aviv knocked it over," Noah pretended.

"That poor little dog is all the way on the beach trying to avoid the scent," Jason said. He stretched out, dangling his yarmulke over the arm of the couch in his free hand. The other was holding on to Noah's. "Your Dad sure is taking a long shower."

"Oh, he probably went back to Jerusalem for Ariel's funeral," Noah said. "He can move really fast when he wants to. Why don't you stay for the day?"

"Only if we can get that scent out!" Jason got up & began pulling some incense sticks out of the desk in the corner.

A while later, they were both out on the front porch. "Pretty sure we made it worse," Noah complained. "Any more bright ideas?"

"Yes. Next time Jerusalem gets bombed, tell your Dad to toss himself into the Sea of Galilee before coming home."

Noah nearly fell off his chair from laughing too hard. Aviv barked in the distance. "Ohhh kay!" Noah gasped for air. "Let's go get that dog."

Needless to say, the three of them stayed at the beach for most of the day while the house aired out for the second time. Sort of. It wasn't until early evening when they felt it was faded enough to close the windows. As if attempting one last try at clearing up the scents, they made a huge bowl of popcorn & then curled up together on the couch to watch movies.

The cemetery became as dark & cold as Ariel's grave when night came & the desert lost its heat. Sylar woke up with a shiver, plumping up his feathers to warm up. He looked down on the freshly dug earth before flying to the road. He scooped up a rock with his talons, too big for a common Kestrel to carry but he used his force power to help carry it back to Ariel. It dropped close to the top of the plot. After one last look over her final resting place, he transported back home into the dark hallway & shifted back to himself.

"No no! Don't go that way!" Noah was laughing.

"Oh she's gonna get it!" Jason sounded slightly terrified.

Sylar silently moved into the entrance way for the living room to find the pair sitting in the dark, save for the TV, watching some sort of movie.

"See? I'm telling you, these slashers are sooooo predictable!" Noah gave Jason a small shove.

Slashers? Sylar was suddenly very interested in what was on the screen. He looked at it just in time to see the girl get gutted by someone using a knife; though, the face of the killer was yet to be shown. "Oh really?" Sylar whispered to himself, slowly moving in to stand in the dark behind the couch. His power picked up the longest knife in the kitchen & he quickly pulled it into his hand. Ohh baby was he going to have fun with these idiots!

"Honestly Noah," Jason scolded. "Why do you like these kinds movies so much?"

"Why indeed?" Sylar murmured to himself while another victim screamed in the movie.

""Cause they're so cheesy," Noah laughed. "I know exactly who the killer is in this one since the first five minutes."

"So tell me & we don't have to watch the rest."

"But watching it is half the fun!"

"Yes, it is," Sylar said a little louder.

"Good, you're agreeing," Noah said, not realizing.

"N-no I'm not," Jason whispered, mortified.

So, Noah would be harder to scare whereas Jason seemed about ready to die of fright. Sylar took another step towards the back of the couch.

"Shh!" Noah hushed Jason. "I think Lilian's going to get killed next."

"Oh no," Sylar said under breath in mock pity, waiting. After a moment, Noah's prediction came true. Sylar moved a little closer & lifted some popcorn using his power. Neither Noah or Jason noticed for Noah was glued to the screen & Jason had his hands over his eyes, peeking out. The girl on screen did her death throes acting as she fell down the stairs. "Now see, I would have had sex with her first," Sylar said in a louder voice.

Noah glared at Jason. "I hardly think you would!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You just said you'd have sex with her first."

"No I didn't. I thought you sa—"

With a loud growl, Sylar lunged forward, slightly over the back of the couch, brandishing the knife between the boys in the light of the TV.

"AHHHHH!" Noah & Jason fled like rabbits, spilling the popcorn everywhere.

Sylar doubled over with laughter, then shifted to a cat & hid under the sofa when the light went on.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Jason yelled before rounding on Noah. "YOU!" He pointed an accusing finger in Noah's face. "You planned this didn't you?"

"No!" Noah shook his head, He frantically looked around the living room. "No I think someone got in the house while we left it open."

"That's convenient!"

"I didn't do this!"

Jason didn't believe him but he dropped the subject for now as he backed out of the living room. "I'm not going back in there." He went for the kitchen, turning on every light he could reach. Noah followed him. He kept glancing back to see if anyone was coming after them. "Noah look!" Jason pointed to the magnetized set of knives on the wall.

"One's missing," Noah whispered. "The biggest one."

"I still say you set this up."

"Well I didn't."

"I'm quite scared right now."

"So am I, Jason! Deliciously scared!" Noah teased.

Still as a cat under the couch, Sylar had to shake himself. Noah wasn't lying when he said he was scared but at the same time, he seemed to get off by it as well, or whatever the ace-term for get off was. He teleported outside, flipped the main breaker to make it dark again, enjoying the two shrieks, then teleported back inside. After cutting his hand with the knife to stain the blade with blood, he threw the knife onto the floor with a loud clatter to attract their attention, then became a small chickadee & flew up to hang on to the ceiling fan between the hall & the kitchen.

A few minutes later, the beam of a flashlight lit the hall enough to expose the bloody knife. Noah cautiously reached out & grabbed it.

"Is that blood?" Jason gasped.

"Yeah," Noah whispered. "Someone is definitely in here." He shone the flashlight around. "Cutting off the power. Typical first move. Someone dies in the second one but I can't die so..."

"Um I can."

"Just stay next to me," Noah patted Jason on the shoulder. "I'll take any hits for you. Here, take the knife in case you need it."

Sylar was impressed at Noah's calmness & offering to cover Jason. He had no intention of killing any one, but he would give them a night they would not soon forget. Shining the flashlight forward, Noah started to move through the house, with Jason close behind, gripping Noah on the shoulder so as not to lose him. Sylar dropped silently behind them, changing back to himself, & followed them around for a while. When they came to a parting of ways in the house, Sylar tapped Jason on the shoulder before ducking out of sight & stood silently behind the door.

Jason yelled & whirled around. Noah shone the light over his head. "Someone touched my shoulder!" Jason gasped.

"In here," Noah entered the same room Sylar had & looked around. He even looked behind the door where Sylar was hiding...as a mouse...on the floor. Noah did a rather impressive thorough job of checking the room before backing out & closing the door.

Sylar waited a moment, then slipped under the door to continue following them. "I could do this all night," he laughed to himself before catching up to them. He followed them right out to the back porch & by that time, Aviv was silently following him around. Aviv was the only one besides Sylar not scared of anything since he knew everyone quite well by their scents. As the boys moved out to the back porch, Sylar got down to the floor & pulled Aviv close. "Shall we finish them?" Aviv tried to lick his face. "The grand finale of the movie?" He put the dog aside.

Jason was outside while Noah still stood in the doorway. Sylar summoned the knife out of Jason's hand & pounced on Noah, tipping them both over down the few steps out onto the grass. "JASON RUN!" Noah yelled as he landed flat on his back with his attacker on top. The person sat on him & suddenly glowed a little, enough for Noah to see him holding the knife up as if to plunge it in. "DAD?!"

Sylar burst out laughing, lowering the knife at last. "Are you having fun yet?"

"DAD!" Noah tried to sit up. "HEY JASON! It's Dad!" Noah tried to push Sylar away. "I hate you!"

Jason just stared. "Rabbi Gray?!"

Sylar was still crying from laughing so much. "Jason, be a dear & flip the main breaker back on would you?"

"RABBI GRAY?" Jason was still shocked.

"Oh come on!" Sylar was still laughing. Ignoring Noah's futile attempts at pushing him off, he added. "I walked in on you guys watching a slasher film. What did you expect me to do?" He buried his face in Noah's chest for a moment. "Ohh!" He wheezed. "I got you both good!"

"Freaking HATE you! Now will you GET OFF?!" Noah began pounding his fists on Sylar's head.

Sylar rolled off at last, wheezing. He lay flat on his back in the grass. "You should have seen the look on your faces!" He sucked in a breath. "THAT WAS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"Shut up Dad!" Noah ordered as he marched away. Aviv yipped suddenly when Noah stepped on him, flipping right over head first back into the house. This sent Sylar into a new wave of tears. He curled up in a ball on the grass in pain. "The hell with everybody!" Noah shoved the dog out & slammed the door.

Sylar gasped for breath & slowly sat up. Jason was still standing on the porch, glaring. "Jason, the breaker! Go flip it please." Sylar rubbed his eyes. Without a word, Jason disappeared & a moment later the house lit up once more. Sylar turned off Ariel's ability & stood up. "You ok?"

Still glaring, Jason snapped, "I've never been so scared in all my life."

"Good!" Sylar replied opening the door. Aviv trotted in & after a long hesitant pause, Jason stomped in as well.

Noah was in the kitchen cleaning the knife. "Who's blood is this now?" He demanded as Sylar entered.

"Mine," Sylar said. "I cut my palm."

"Of course you did."

"You were scared, weren't you?" Sylar wagged his brow.

"Shut up!" Noah half-threw the knife back onto the magnet bar. It stuck for a moment before clattering to the floor. "I hate everybody!" Noah snarled, yanking it back to dry it so it would stick properly.

"Alright well, I'm going home!" Jason snapped.

"Oh feel free to stay," Sylar all but purred. "I can do this all night."

"No, nope," Jason replied. "I'm done. Noah is the one who likes those stupid movies! I'm never watching another one for the rest of my life."

"Which could end before dawn," Sylar replied connivingly.

"No offense Rabbi, but you can be quite a creep when you want to be!" Jason was still put out.

"I know," Sylar said seriously, before grinning.

"Good night," Jason said before leaving.

By now, Noah was in the living room turning off the TV while Aviv helped by sucking up the popcorn like a vacuum cleaner. Noah paused to check his phone. Jason had sent him a text. "You're right. He does look very different without his glasses." Noah texted back. "I told you so." He pocketed the phone & picked up the empty steel bowl lying on the floor that they had used for the popcorn. He brought it to the kitchen to wash it.

"Want some hot chocolate?"

"Nope. I'm going to bed." Noah was still mad.

"You know you want some."

"No thank you."

"Noah I wasn't actually going to hurt either of you."

"I know that NOW!"

Sylar was laughing again. "I think the best part was when you tripped over Aviv & fell flat on your face back into the house!" Noah just glared until Sylar finally calmed down. "So when did you start watching those movies?"

"Since I was fourteen."

"Fourteen? Wait a minute," Sylar was suddenly serious. "You know those things are rated right?"

"Which is why I didn't tell you," Noah finally smiled. "I walked in on one playing at the library in the theater room & hid in the corner to watch. Hooked ever since."

Sylar leaned back on the bar counter all business-like. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, really."

"So you like blood & gore?" Sylar asked almost breathlessly. Would it really be this easy to talk to him about his own reality slasher life-style?

Noah scoffed. "Oh please! It's way too phony to look real in most of those movies since most are B-movies. I just like the silliness of it. I'm always up for a cheesy movie for some reason. It's Jason who takes it literally. So I ended up with a second reason to like slasher films. I like to watch Jason squirm."

"Have sex with him," Sylar teased. "He'll squirm just fine." Noah rolled his eyes. Sylar took a sip of his coffee. "Come to think of it, so would you."

"Dad."

"What? I just think it's cool to explore both sides of one's sexuality."

"That doesn't have sides."

"Sure it does," Sylar smiled mischievously. "Top & bottom."

"Oh my God!" Noah groaned, walking away.

Sylar caught him by his power & dragged him into the living room. "Before you saunter off to bed, we need to have a little talk about something." He sat Noah down on the couch with him. "I'm going to ask you a very odd sort of question, odd for you. You don't have to understand it right now; though, you will very soon. Just things I know that you don't yet. Right now, a simple yes or no will do." He looked Noah long & hard in the eyes. "Do you have any desire or fantasy about..." He looked at the TV for a moment. "About doing something like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like what you see in those slasher movies?"

"You mean like making one of those movies?" Noah said. "Uh if you star in it I could probably do that actually."

"No, I mean for real."

"As in go out & murder someone?"

"Yes," Sylar let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Have you had certain, you know, urges?"

"No, I don't know!" Noah stared at him. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Like I said," Sylar tried again. "There are some things I know that you don't. Not yet, but soon."

"No, of course not," Noah insisted. "I don't want to kill anyone. Why would you even think that?"

"Just asking."

Noah scoffed lightly. "Dad, those movies aren't real. They are very far removed from reality. It's just acting."

"But it can be real."

"Just movies."

"Movies can be misleading," Sylar said.

"What has gotten in to you?"

"Because, Noah!" Sylar got up to pace & by now, Noah was beginning to worry. Sylar stood in front of his son. "There is a very dark mark in our family's past. The mark...of a monster."

"Dad?"

Sylar gazed at Noah, trying to find the words. But he couldn't do it. Not with the way Noah was looking at him right now. Not without Ariel by his side. They were supposed to face Noah together, but once again, he had to do it alone. A story. Tell him a story. It was as if he could hear Ariel's voice. "Noah, I know someone like that in real life."

"What?"

"A horrendous mass murderer," Sylar whispered. "Viscous. Cruel beyond imagination." He felt his eyes sting but wouldn't let the tear fall. Not yet. In a stronger voice he went on, "He would rip people apart, slice them up." Noah was gaping by now. "He murdered so many people in just a couple of years. He didn't mean to but something drove him to blood, like a vampire or werewolf. Driven mad with a lust so strong for blood that it would drag Dracula himself to his knees & beg for mercy."

They stared at each other for a moment before Noah laughed. "Ok Dad. I think you're taking this slasher thing a little too seriously. I don't get scared of stuff like that & it's because I was annoyed at the others in the library whenever they yelped while I was trying to watch the movie."

"Noah, I am telling you the truth!" Sylar implored. "Some of it. I'll tell the rest later. Now I am trying to protect you from that horror. That is why when I tell you to do something or go somewhere...or NOT go somewhere...you do exactly what I say. You can understand that much of it."

Noah looked at his father for a long moment, thinking hard. Suddenly, something clicked. He gasped softly. "...New...York?"

"YES!" Sylar finally let the tear escape. He wiped it away. "New York! Now don't you EVER talk to me about that wretched place again! Are we clear on that?"

Noah was panting in shock. No way! Was that it? A New York serial killer? He was both intrigued & terrified & he never wanted to go to New York as badly as in that moment. He couldn't die so what was the big deal? But he could see his father was quite upset by it so he let it slide. Oh. Wait. Was this killer responsible for the explosion that killed his mother? That might be it. "Okay..." Noah finally said. "I won't mention it again."

"Not even to Jason!" Sylar ordered. "He likes looking into things too much. He could be killed & in a very vicious way. Noah, you have to trust me! You two just live your lives here, free of that. I'm the only one who can keep you both safe right now, alright?"

Noah was in tears now. He hadn't thought of Jason. He had planned to go telling Jason everything as soon as possible & maybe together they could go to New York someday. He had only thought of himself not being able to die. He had no worry, except one. Jason was a mortal being. Noah would have to go to New York alone. Noah finally nodded, not realizing that his own father had just discreetly threatened Jason.

"Good. Now, I think we should get to bed," Sylar said. He leaned over & held Noah close. "Forget this whole night ever happened."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a hot chocolate right now."

"Oh now you want one, after I put everything away?" Sylar said with a short laugh.

"Of course," Noah nodded. "Best time to have one."

"Uh huh," Sylar grunted, unimpressed.

Noah followed him to the diner. "So I guess Ariel is buried now. How are you doing?"

Sylar brought down the box of chocolate powder & stared into it for a long time. "It's unreal." He turned to his son. "I've seen a lot of stuff in my life. Dealt with a lot of blood & death & things just not working out for the better. But I've never seen such militant action like what goes on in Jerusalem. Ariel & I got caught up in it all. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I tried to protect her. Used my body to take any bullets since I can heal. But there were too many of them, even for me & that rarely ever happens. I've seen people get shot before, but not like that & not for the simple reason of being of another race, another creed. All because she was Jewish & living in Jerusalem."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Noah blurted out.

Sylar took a long moment in answering. If he lied now, it would be harder to tell Noah later. If he said yes now, it would be harder to not tell Noah anything more now. Then he remembered the Sabbath recently passed. A way out. "Yes Noah. I have."

Noah just gawked at him. "D-Dad?"

"On Sabbath, when we went to retrieve Ariel's nieces. Well it was after sundown by then," Sylar went on. "Ariel had her own handgun. We brought down several terrorists. Then later, the next day, I was able to kill the terrorist that took part in killing her." He looked into Noah's eyes. "I've killed several people in these past forty-eight hours," He hesitated as Noah put both hands over his mouth in shock before adding, "Well you know, if you can call ISIS soldiers people. I mean they were just terrorists." He poured the hot chocolate for Noah who was still processing this new information. "But it didn't matter in the end, did it? I didn't kill enough to save Ariel or any one else who was killed the other day." He put the mug on the table in front of Noah & then spoke words he never thought he would say. "Killing isn't worth it. Either you take innocent lives through murder, or you get other innocent lives killed by agitating the other side in war, only to succeed in making them come after you & your people in a spirit of revenge." He picked up his own cup of what remained of his coffee. "Finish your drink Noah & go to bed."

Noah drank it in silence, still shocked at what he heard. He had never thought his father capable of killing someone. He was too gentle, like a dove, for that. On the other hand, it was just eradicating some no good terrorists, someone who would kill Jason for just being born. Did it matter? Noah told himself that it didn't. It's okay. Just some ISIS no one needs. But fact remained, he now knew his father had killed someone & he couldn't get that idea out of his head. He didn't know that his father's New York monster was right here in their beach house the whole time.

He didn't know that the dove had the teeth of a dragon & a cold-blooded temper to match.

* * *

* Based on a photoshoot Zach Quinto did with a Buell motorbike.


	17. Chapter 17

**(17) Jerusalem Is Cursed**

When Noah came down stairs the next day it was almost noon. He still wasn't a morning person despite years of failed attempts to give him a better sleeping schedule. He was born to be a night owl. Part of Sylar didn't like that, knowing that it was his own trait he passed on but what he often did at night wasn't good. He watched Noah go into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich even though he was already dressed to go out.

"Going somewhere?" Sylar spoke as Noah passed the living room on his way to the door.

Noah came back a few paces. "Yeah, I'm meeting up with Jason in Haifa." He came in close to the couch. "You scared him off, I think."

Sylar just snickered. "He'll get over it. Ohh did I ever have fun last night."

"See you later Dad," Noah turned to leave.

Sylar made him walk back by force & pushed him onto the couch. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Noah shrugged. "Why aren't you wearing your glasses?"

Sylar leaned back against the couch. "Noah, you & I both know I don't exactly need them. You're growing up now. We don't really need to play that game any more. Besides, I left them in Jerusalem & I can't get them back."

"I guess you're right," Noah shrugged. "You do look different without them. But I think it suits you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you should do a movie. You're pretty good as a killer!"

"Mm," Sylar looked away for a moment. "Well that's because I am a killer."

"I thought about what you said last night," Noah said. "I think I'm glad you & Ariel did that. I've seen people look at Jason in a way I don't like. I've even been called a kike lover. You & Ariel just took out some riff-raff."

Sylar forgot his speech for a moment. "You too? A few minutes before Ariel was killed, I was called that for being with her. Friends of Jews are targets as well."

"It doesn't matter if we're Jewish or not," Noah said. "We are automatically on their side so it makes us enemies as well." He pulled out his phone to answer a text. "Jason says I better be halfway there by now. I gotta go." He got up & trotted out.

Sylar let him go. He had been so close, just so close! He rubbed his face with both hands. "You gotta do it sooner or later." He leaned forward, head in hands. Aviv sat at his feet, looking up at him. Sylar let one hand drop to pet the dog's head. He held Aviv's muzzle up. "Getting some gray on your muzzle now, aren't you?" With a sigh, he sat straight as his phone went off. "Hello?"

"Rabbi Gray," Jessica's voice sounded from the other end. "Can you get to the main office around three this afternoon?"

"I can get there right this second."

"Well, you can but others can't," Jessica pointed out. "We have a problem." She explained a little.

"What?" Sylar slowly stood up. "How is that possible?"

"Don't know yet," Jessica said. "That's why we're putting an emergency meeting on."

"I'll be there," Sylar replied. "Been a while since I took the Buell out for a spin anyway."

Sylar pocketed the phone & headed upstairs. He changed into his biker clothes: black leather pants, a dark blue shirt & a black jacket. He went out to the balcony by his own bedroom, draping the jacket over the railing as he sat back in the chair. He still had an hour before having to leave the long way since it was a two hour drive to Haifa.

Noah had been driving for a few minutes when he realized he had forgotten something. Rolling his eyes in much the same way his father did, he pulled a U-turn since no one else was on the road & headed back home. He went up to his bedroom to find his wallet still on the nightstand. Returning to the top of the stairs, he had to pass his father's bedroom door which was half closed. He paused to hear soft clicks & peeked in through the crack between the door & hinges. He could see right across the floor to the open balcony where his father was sitting, back against the ocean.

Holding a small knife in one hand, Sylar clicked it open, held it up to look at it, then snapped it shut again. He played with it a few times, open & shut with each click, before getting up & going inside. Dropping to the floor, Sylar half slipped under his bed & felt around in the springs until he pulled out the old gold gun. He stood up & spun it around his finger a few times before attaching it to his belt, then called the jacket to his hand. Putting it on covered the gun, hiding it from sight.

Noah watched in silent awe. He had never seen his father handle any type of weapon before & now he suddenly knew that there had been a gun hidden under the bed, but for how long? Noah quietly slipped away & ducked into his own bedroom to avoid meeting his father coming out. He had the same stealthy tactics without even realizing it. He waited for Sylar to be outside before heading downstairs himself.

They met in the garage. Sylar was still staring at the car that was supposed to be gone & turned to look around just as Noah came in. "Hi Dad," Noah glanced at the uncovered Buell. "Going out?"

"Kabbalah business," Sylar watched his son's every move. "Aren't you supposed to be gone?"

Noah held up his wallet. "Forgot my license." He got into the car & then put the window down. "You ok?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Sylar replied, putting one gloved hand on the handlebars.

"Alright," Noah gave up. "See you later." He pulled out of the garage again & drove away. "Not even Aviv can muster up such a guilty face," He muttered under breath. When he was well away from home, he pulled over to explain he would be late, then added, "There is something going on with Dad. He's been getting weird for over a year."

"He's always been weird."

"No, I'm telling you, there's something wrong. I'm getting a bit worried."

"Let's talk about it when you get here."

Noah put his phone on the passenger seat, then began driving once more. A few minutes later, he slammed the brakes & swerved hard into the ditch, wrapping the car around a palm tree, totalling it. He would have been killed instantly if it weren't for his super-regen.

Sylar watched the car leave before pulling off one glove to reach under the seat & get the keys. He got on the bike but then flipped the keys over in his free hand for a few minutes. They talked to him, telling him they had been used by another. Soft unheard whispers coursing through his body told him all he needed to know. Sylar slowly swung his long leg back off the Buell & looked up at the locked cupboard. He opened it using the key so he could feel it & took the box down. Everything he touched told him the same story. Lifting the lid, he found the disordered mess with Claire's picture on top. Sylar pulled his fingertips over her & she told him. Noah guessed quite correctly at who she was supposed to be for him.

"This is exactly why I kill people," Sylar spun around, throwing the keys hard across the garage. "BECAUSE THEY PISS ME OFF!" He disappeared from the garage, showing up in the road ahead of Noah's car, startling him enough to cause an accident. Sylar yanked off the driver's door using force power. "Get out. NOW!"

Noah slipped out & stood up. "Are you crazy? I could have killed you!"

"No you can't."

"Well seriously injure you," Noah indicated.

"I can heal."

"You still would have suffered first," Noah pointed out. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what the hell you & Jason thought you were doing in the garage the other day?"

"Dad, I'm all sorts of lost & confused right now," Noah complained. "I can't remember what I did two seconds ago at this point."

"I have clairsentience!" Sylar snapped. "Do you know what that ability does?" Noah shook his head. "It clarifies things by letting objects talk to me. I can feel their whole history. Now the set of keys under the seat of my bike told me a very interesting story about you & Jason. The cupboard door confirmed it & by the time I got to the box, well I didn't need my ability any more. After the mess you boys made!" Noah had both hands on his mouth by now. "You think I wouldn't notice everything out of order? So I ask you again," Sylar leaned close to Noah's face. "What were you two doing? Hmm?"

Noah hung his head. "I'm sorry Dad. It just happened."

"It. JUST. Happened." Sylar emphasized every word. Noah remained silent. "I swear if you just had sex like a normal boy, you wouldn't be this much trouble! OH! GOD!" Sylar turned away, letting his rage chop the already damaged tree down. "I could KILL something right now!"

"Yup," Noah nodded. "I'd say that tree is pretty dead now."

"NOAH!" Sylar hissed, his back still toward his son. He put both palms on his forehead as if fighting a migraine. Only it was worse than that. He was losing control. He was barely holding on while his inner New York monster was slowly creeping up his spine & growing strong. Where was Ariel when he needed her? Oh right. He let her die. He didn't do enough to protect her. "You don't understand..." He whispered in a broken voice. He doubled over for a moment, arms wrapped over his head. Noah put a hand on his back but he jumped away. "Stay back! Just give me a moment."

"Ok..." Noah slowly stepped away. He half-crawled back into the wreck & felt around for his phone. It was teetering on the edge of what was left of the bottom of the car under half a passenger seat in front. He stretched a bit more but it moved the whole frame & the phone fell into the grass at the tree's base. Noah pulled out & went under to get it. There was a puddle that was smoking underneath. He snatched the phone & got up & sent a text to Jason. "Just totalled the car. Dad's fault. He teleported in front of me, I almost ran him over & now a palm tree is dead. He knows what we did in the garage but it's more than that, I think. Dad is acting very different. I'm telling you something's wrong. Gotta go. The car is about to blow." He put the phone in his pocket next to the wallet & ran for it. "DAD MOVE! IT'S GOING TO BLOW UP!" Noah crossed the road & lay down. Sylar dropped beside him right before the car burst into flames & exploded a moment later. They watched it burn. Noah put a hand onto his father's own deadly hand beside him. "Let's go home."

Sylar looked down at their touch, the empathy picking something up. Noah was hurt but not physically. "Noah...I didn't mean it like that."

"Like what?" Noah tried not to snap. "You don't think I'm normal. Case closed. There is little more to be said except that nothing lately, has been normal."

"I was angry, Noah," Sylar tried again. "I didn't mean it."

Noah stared at the grass. "If you didn't mean it, you never would have said it. Just like calling a Jew a kike. Did you ever do that?"

"No of course not."

"The Jews get more respect than your own son," Noah finally glared at him. "Now, please take me home?"

Sylar sighed heavily & shook his head. They were soon lying on the living room floor. Noah got up & ran upstairs without another word. "Noah?" Sylar called. He was answered with a door slam. "Great!" Sylar berated himself.

He wanted to go up there. He wanted to take those words back. The blood rage was once more driven from his mind by his own son. He had hurt Noah in a different way. He had denied his difference & brushed it all aside in that one stupid phrase that he didn't mean at all. First things first. The accident had to be cleared away. He would have to teleport to the meeting now instead of biking to it.

When the cleanup was well under way, Sylar transported to Haifa & entered the nearest toy store. Knowing exactly where to go, he was soon in the section of plush. It was getting harder to find one for Noah that he did not have but he soon settled on a small rabbit sitting on its tail with droopy ears, brown & white markings & a purple ribbon. Checking his phone, he noticed he still had half an hour. Not much time to patch things up but at least he could start. He went back to the living room & entered the hall to go up stairs.

Noah was standing on the bottom step. "What is that?"

"Hmm? Oh," Sylar held up the rabbit. "A peace offering."

Noah blinked at it, then looked his father in the eyes, deliberately ignoring the bunny. "I was hoping it was your glasses."

Sylar lowered the rabbit. "I can't get those back."

"Then get new ones," Noah demanded. "Everything has been so fucked up since you last wore them."

"Alright," Sylar gave in, knowing better than to lecture Noah on swearing right now. He had been through plenty of tantrums when Noah was a child but this was different. "I'll do that right after the meeting."

"Ok," Noah turned & went back upstairs.

Sylar watched him go, then remembered he still had the bunny. He teleported into Noah's bedroom & lay back on the bed, holding the bunny over his face. Noah walked into his room & stared as Sylar spoke in a silly voice, using the rabbit as a mask. "Hi Noah. Will you be my friend?"

Noah could feel his face twitching but ignored it. "Get off my bed Dad."

The bunny's ears flapped. "Come on! You know you like me. I'm really cute."

"Dad," Noah groaned. "I'm really not in the mood right now. Give me that bunny!"

Sylar held the bunny away from his face so he could see Noah. "What do you think I've been trying to do?"

Noah sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can I ask you something?"

Sylar held the bunny up over his face again but this time used his altered voice. "Sure!"

"Whoa!" Noah finally laughed. "That is such a creepy ability."

"I know," Sylar was still using it.

"Stop that," Noah finally managed to grab the bunny & put it aside. Sylar noticed that Noah still kept the new one close. "Ok, I gotta ask," Noah glared before saying, "Why are you such an asshole sometimes? You have very strange mood swings."

Sylar folded up his legs so he could swing over Noah & sit up as well. "It has to do with having multiple powers. Shlomo was like this as well sometimes, but he had better control over his temper than I did."

"Shlomo had a temper?"

Sylar laughed nervously. "Yeah. I got a tongue-lashing from him a couple times."

"Did you deserve it?"

Sylar looked around the room at Noah's ever growing collection. He could explain the obsession. He should. It was just like him with blood, sex & abilities. But he had this other corner he needed to get out of right now. His unintended acephobic comment. "Probably."

"Good," Noah laughed.

Sylar glared at him. "Shlomo was better trained than I was as far as manners were concerned. I was always a wild child."

"I believe it."

"Thanks," Sylar scoffed. "Brat." Both laughed for a moment before falling silent. Sylar eventually put one arm around Noah, pulling him close. "I am sorry Noah. I wasn't thinking." He petted his son's hair. "Can we forget this day ever happened?"

Noah looked down into his father's lap. He could see a glint of gold. The handgun trying to hide under Sylar's open jacket. Noah straightened up. "It will cost you something."

"What?"

Noah thought hard, wondering how close to the edge he could push his father without hurting him much. "There is something I need to know." He pulled away to look his father in the eyes. "Am I really your son?"

Sylar stared at him. "Uh yeah. Why wouldn't you be?"

"Dad," Noah hesitated before saying. "I saw a name &...& I think I'm adopted, aren't I?"

"Adopted?" Sylar exclaimed. "No way. I'm pretty sure I stuck it in your Mom & you came out nine months later."

"Ohh kill me now!" Noah groaned. He glared at Sylar. "Really?"

"Yeah, really!" Sylar laughed. "Why the hell would you think something stupid like that?"

"Nathan Petrelli."

Sylar choked in surprise. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. "That made you think you were adopted?" He finally managed to say.

"Where do my other names come from then? Petrelli & Bennet? They aren't yours, are they?"

"No no, those are names from grandparents," Sylar waved it away with one hand.

"Grandparents?"

Sylar nodded. "You are definitely mine by blood. Not adopted." He stood up. "Noah, I have to go. Might be gone for a while. I will get you a new car tomorrow."

"You better," Noah scolded. "It's your fault I totalled the other one. I never had an accident before."

"I knew you'd be fine," Sylar replied nonchalantly. He transported to the garage first, retrieved the keys on the floor in a corner & put them into the seat, then covered the bike. He appeared right in the middle of the office, receiving various looks of surprise & amusement. He was still dressed as a biker. Sylar rolled his eyes. Too late now. "I was supposed to ride in but my son had an accident. Now where's that video?"

He was brought to a chair beside Jessica who was about to hit play before looking at him. "I suppose I don't have to warn you about any graphic content?" Sylar just looked at her. She finally let the thing play.

The video was taken at night. It showed an attack on Jerusalem. Bombs were going off. Guns could be heard. People were running every where. An exploding vehicle. It was the raid Sylar & Ariel had been caught up in. The last ten minutes or so. Sylar sat straighter as the end played. It was him over Ariel's body after she had died. His attacker was sneaking up on him. The entire beheading had been caught on film!

"René caught Jason watching this," Jessica said.

"Jason SAW this?" Sylar closed his eyes & turned away. "Where is René?"

"Dealing with Jason," Jessica said.

"It's how we found out," someone standing behind him said. "René wiped Jason's memory. He's checking to see if it got to Noah yet."

"It can NOT get to Noah!" Sylar all but shouted as he jumped to his feet, knocking the chair back. "This needs to be taken off the internet now! Before Jason finds it again & shows it to Noah."

"I'm working on that," Jessica said. "I have some experience with computers since I design video games."

"You told me to bring a gun or some such weapon," Sylar began. "I don't exactly need such things, but why did you want me armed?"

"We had the one who filmed all this in custody," a man said. "He is from the ISIS."

"Great, that means they have copies!"

"That's what we were thinking," Jessica said.

"I want to see him."

"That's not possible any more."

"Raphael, you just told me you had him in custody."

"Had," Raphael reiterated. "Past tense. He got away."

"He got away," Sylar repeated.

"He kept speaking in Arabic," Raphael went on. "Not knowing I understand it. He is on his way to assassinate the Prime Minister of Israel. I do have a picture of him." He handed over his phone.

"That's why I said you should have a gun," Jessica said as Sylar checked out the photo. "If you're going to go after him, you don't want to risk getting your powers caught on film. The way you usually kill is famous the world over."

"There's something else," Raphael added, taking his phone back. "Did you notice something odd about that raid?"

"Ariel mentioned something about them getting past your Iron Dome," Sylar replied.

"That's right," Raphael said. "The sirens started around the same time the attack did, instead of fifteen minutes earlier."

"That means they were already in the city," Sylar said. "In disguise."

"That's what we're thinking. They must have been planning it for a while. A lot of people died that night."

Sylar couldn't help but think of Ariel. He went behind the desk & unlocked a small drawer. He pulled out two pensticks from his inner pocket, put one in the drawer & held the other out to Raphael. "Ariel & I got some files downloaded when we went to get her nieces. Ours is in this drawer. You will come with me & take this copy to the Prime Minister while I handle our would-be assassin. It has a lot of ISIS plans on it."

"This could turn the tide," Raphael solemnly took the extra penstick.

"It depends," Sylar half-shrugged. "Do not get caught with it on you." Raphael nodded quickly as Sylar looked over the others. "The rest of you help Jessica get that video off the internet. I'll go to Jerusalem & start looking for our runaway." He stepped away from the desk, grabbed onto Raphael & was about to beam out.

"Rabbi?"

Sylar paused. "Was there something else?"

Jessica came up to him. "Devorah gave me this at Ariel's funeral." She handed over a glasses case. Inside was his old pair. "You weren't there?"

"I was but in a different form," Sylar replied as he put them in the drawer for later. "Devorah doesn't like me too much. I appreciate getting these back though."

Sylar appeared with Raphael in an alley in Jerusalem a moment later. They were about a block away from the Knesset & hurried down the street towards the main building. A few minutes later, the large bronze menorah came into view.

"When you are done with the penstick, wait for me by the menorah," Sylar ordered. "Our friend still has to arrive. He is most likely using a bus so I will watch for him."

As Raphael took off, Sylar transported himself to the roof of the building nearest to the bus stop to wait. A few minutes later, the next series of buses stopped to unload & reload. Sylar watched every passenger intently but none fit the description in the picture. He waited for the next round & the one after as well, but his target had yet to appear. Feeling his phone buzz, he pulled it out to find a message from Raphael.

"Sir, he's here at the Knesset!"

Sylar quickly beamed over to his side, only to be shot in the back a moment later. He leaned forward to put his hands on the wall while the regen cleared that up. Sylar whirled around to catch his attacker but there was no one there. He looked over the hall before moving forward. "I think that bullet was intended for you."

"In that case, thanks," Raphael said.

"Any time," Sylar stopped at the corner, pulling out his gun as he checked down the next corridor. "Did you get that thing to the Prime Minister yet?"

"No," Raphael tapped his pocket, indicating he still had it. "That man showed up & has been stopping me no matter what I try."

"Well we won't be delivering the package today," Sylar continued on their way. "Security would have taken over by now. Let's just get the terrorist for now." They entered a stairwell but quickly backed up & ducked out of sight. The one they were after was coming up the stairs. They waited, one on either side of the exit door but when no one appeared, Raphael slowly checked down the stairs again.

"No one's here," Raphael said. "How could he get away so soon?"

"He must have gone back down," Sylar hurried down the steps. He caught sight of the man once more but only for a moment. He stopped & put a hand up to halt Raphael. "I think we are dealing with some sort of ability."

"He didn't seem to do anything special," Raphael said.

"Except escape," Sylar pointed out. "Like how he is still evading us. If I could get a better look at him, I could see what it is."

"How?" Raphael asked. Sylar stared off into space, as if distracted. Raphael fluttered a hand across Sylar's face. "Rabbi Gray? Are you alright? Hey! Sir!" He punched Sylar on the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Sylar blinked & stared at him for a moment. "I was trying to stop time, but it sped up instead. What did you say? You sounded like you were fast forwarded."

"I was wondering what happened to you," Raphael glanced around before opening the door into a small lobby. "Is something wrong with your powers?"

Sylar looked at a vase on the table. He tried to grab it with his force power but it broke in two even though he didn't try to shatter it. "Seems like it." He suddenly keeled over hands on knees as he choked. 'What are you doing?" He gasped for air.

"Sorry," Raphael stopped his own ability. "I was trying to see if mine worked but something is off."

"Still good enough to make me gag," Sylar slowly stood straight. "You can change the air to poison."

"Yes but it's not supposed to be noticed until it's too late," Raphael said. "Something like carbon monoxide. You shouldn't have choked on it."

"I'm not sure if that is your power not working or mine then," Sylar said. "Could be the regen I have was acting up."

"Maybe," Raphael shrugged. "We need to stay out of sight then, if you start having healing problems."

"I think the two of you better come with me!"

Sylar & Raphael spun around to face someone dressed as security holding up a gun. Sylar still had his in hand & held it up as well. The guard slightly moved his gun over, pointing it at Raphael. "Go ahead & shoot, Mr. Sylar. I've got time enough to drop your partner, not that you need him."

"Not good," Sylar whispered out the corner of his mouth to Raphael before addressing the intruder. "Who are you?"

The man glared at him. "Can't you tell? I'm a security guard around here. Work for Israel's Prime Minister."

Sylar tried to focus but instead of a tingling, he felt pain as if something was cutting into him. "I think you might be lying," he said slowly, shaking it off. "But that ability shouldn't hurt me."

"The flash drive," the man slowly advanced, holding out one hand as if ready to take something. "Give it to me. Now. There is a reason Sylar can't do much, so hand it over."

Without even looking at each other, Sylar & Raphael both said, "What flash drive?"

"How would you like that video of you beheading someone to wind up in front of your son?" The man threatened. Sylar was unable to recover quickly enough. "When we saw you in that video, we knew Jerusalem was cursed. How is it that America's favorite serial killer ended up here? We are keeping a copy of that video in case we need to send it to someone who you really wouldn't like to see it." He snapped his fingers at Raphael. "Hand it over." He held his gun a little higher. "Or I'll kill y—"

The gun jerked up out of his hand & shot the ceiling. Its owner looked rather confused for a moment before looking at Sylar who was glaring right back. Sylar spoke with his altered voice. "If you ever threaten my son again!" Another burst of power yanked the man's feet out from under him & he landed hard on his back. "Not quite what I was going for," Sylar spoke plainly once more. "It's like my powers are being deflected. But at least I got him down." He looked at Raphael for a moment before yelping in pain. Sylar went to one knee, dropping his gold gun to clutch at his inner leg.

"Rabbi!" Raphael kicked the gold gun away before the other man had a chance to grab it. "What happened?"

"He just stabbed me!" Sylar groaned before striking out with one hand to swipe across his attacker's face. "It'll heal in a moment." He grabbed the man's hair & hauled him up. "I hope!" Pulling out his own knife, he quickly cut the man's throat & let the body drop. Next, he yanked the blade out of his leg & threw it aside before inspecting the bleeding wound. It healed but ever so slowly & it burned.

"That looks really bad Sir," Raphael said in a shaky voice.

"Just give it a minute," Sylar groaned through gritted teeth. "Grab my gun & keep it on you for now."

Raphael went to pick it up. He looked back at Sylar still clutching his leg. The blood slowed as the injury sealed over. He moved closer but still kept some distance between him & Sylar still standing over the one he had just killed. "Shouldn't your powers work now?"

Sylar looked at him. "No. This one didn't have any ability. There's someone else here. We need to find our runaway assassin too." He tested his leg before stepping over the body. "Are you alright?"

Raphael glanced at the body. "I've seen people get killed before."

"But not like that," Sylar pointed out.

"No," Raphael nervously agreed. "Not like that. I know what you are capable of. It shouldn't surprise me, but it did."

"I am Death in human form, Raphael," Sylar pushed by him.

Raphael followed, covering from behind as he held the gold gun firmly in his hands. They moved down the main corridor. Upon entering the last door, Sylar physically grabbed someone with both hands & held the man against the wall.

"About time I catch you," Sylar derided. "You have an ability. You can see what happens within the next few minutes. Why didn't you see me coming now?" He stepped back as Raphael entered. "Tie him up. We'll bring him back."

"I suggest you kill him now."

Sylar & Raphael glanced around to see someone else come towards them, a man who was bleeding from a long gash on the left side of his face. "Who are you?" they both asked.

"Yacov & it's kind of my fault your powers didn't work well earlier."

Sylar looked Yacov over. "Why did you try to stop me?"

"I didn't want to," Yacov held up one hand. Half of a pair of handcuffs dangled from his wrist. "His people had me trapped. They were making me use my power against you. I was able to get away while the Prime Minister was taken away for safety."

"You can cause some sort of distortion," Sylar was still looking into Yacov.

"I can deflect other people's powers," Yacov nodded. He glanced down at the man tied up on the ground. "I know everything he knows," He went on. "You don't need him. He is the one who would have assassinated the Prime Minister. He is also the one who spread a certain video around among his people." Yacov looked Sylar in the eyes. "I know who you are. They say Jerusalem is cursed now that Sylar stalks her streets. I've heard about you possibly being in Israel before, but to actually see Sylar here, of all places. What are you doing here?"

"I've been here for many years," Sylar replied. "Being away from America, I was able to deal with my power on my own. I do not stalk the streets of Jerusalem, or any Israeli city for that matter. I was there on a visit with one from my Kabbalah group, She was recently killed in a raid."

Yacov stared in surprise for a long time. "You're in the Kabbalah?" He finally asked. "Are you Jewish?"

"Not that I know of," Sylar shrugged. "I was invited in by Rabbi Shlomo Gordon because of my powers. He had the same one I was born with."

"I had a group a few years ago but we were scattered abroad by these ilk," Yacov shot a glare at their captive. "I would like to meet Rabbi Gordon."

"He died of cancer a while ago," Sylar replied. "The group is mine now."

"Yours?" Yacov gasped.

"Shlomo left it to my care in his will," Sylar said. "I'm surprised you don't know any of this. He was rather famous."

"We were a small group down in Bethlehem," Yacov said. "But I've been alone for a few years since mine was destroyed. I'm kind of out of the loop."

"Rabbi Gordon was rather fond of Sylar," Raphael went on. "He was the one who fixed Rabbi Gray's powers."

"Thank you for that," Sylar pulled the gold gun out of Raphael's hands, shutting him up with a sharp look. "You two go on ahead. I'll deal with this one." After an awkward moment, Sylar half-snapped. "Now. Go. Both of you." He let them both leave before turning around to the terrorist glaring defiantly back at him.

Yacov & Raphael both stopped walking for a moment as they heard a gun go off. "So, he still kills?" Yacov asked once they started moving again.

"Don't we all in this war?" Raphael defended.


	18. Chapter 18

**(18) Spreading My Wings**

Sylar didn't find Raphael or Yacov again until he had returned to Haifa. He had set Jessica with a few others to try locating them until they showed up about three hours later. Sylar glanced at Yacov, who had not been formally invited into his group, for a moment before looking over Raphael.

"We won't be able to meet with the Prime Minister for a while until this settles," Raphael began. "But Yacov might be able to help us with that which is why I brought him here."

"I am Yacov Meltzer," Yacov began. "I'm part of the security for the Prime Minister. I could help you set up a meeting with him, but only after I know your intents. Forgive me but I can't just saunter on back into the Knesset with Sylar any time soon."

"I have no intention of killing your Prime Minister."

"Just like you had no intention of killing the President of the United State many years ago, am I right?" Yacov pointedly raised one brow. Sylar glared at him but was unable to deny anything.

"Neither of you are lying," Jessica interjected quickly as if trying to throw some cooling water on that major burn. "We do have something of urgent importance for the Prime Minister. The sooner he gets this," she indicated the penstick Raphael placed on the desk. "the better."

"What's on that thing?"

"Files concerning various plans for ISIS & other factions trying to destroy Israel," Sylar replied. "I personally don't need to see the Prime Minister but if you could get Raphael set up, it should be fine."

"I could just bring it."

"I want one of my own there," Sylar replied. "If you don't mind."

"That could really turn the tide in this war," Yacov ignored the jibe. "Once the Knesset is stable, the Prime Minister will contact me. I could return with Raphael & those files then. It would be sometime next week."

"Very well," Sylar began. "I will keep this secured until then. Raphael can pick it up when it's time."

After Yacov & Raphael left, Jessica asked Sylar, "Does Yacov have an ability?"

"Yes, he can deflect the powers of others," Sylar replied. "Some sort of distortion wave."

"Will you invite him in?"

Sylar sat back in his seat. "What's the policy on that? He is a rabbi himself. He used to have his own group in Bethlehem before they got scattered by terrorists."

"In that case, it would only be temporary until he can establish his own group again," Jessica said. "He can't take over any of us without your permission either."

"That's good to know," Sylar replied. "Were you able to get rid of that video?"

"We got it banned from Israeli channels & even YouTube," Jessica answered. "But if the ISIS have copies, there will always be a risk of it. Minimal but there."

"It's better than nothing," Sylar said. "So long as it never gets to Noah. He heals too fast to have his memory wiped. Speaking of which," he stood up. "I better get back to him."

"I heard about the car crash," Jessica said.

"It's my fault," Sylar said as he took the glasses out from the door. "I teleported in front of him."

"Well that proves that story about you," Jessica put her hands on her hips. "You really are crazy."

"Good night Miss Havoc," Sylar half-retorted before beaming out of there.

He got out of his biker clothes into something more comfortable before going downstairs to grab something to eat. Aviv was waiting at the bottom of the stairs & began following him around until he stretched back on the couch. Aviv jumped up beside him.

Noah came into the living room a few moments later. "You got new glasses."

"Actually they're the same," Sylar said. "Jessica got them back for me."

"When did you get back?"

"Just recently."

"Were you in Jerusalem?"

"A couple hours ago. Why?"

"I heard someone tried to assassinate the Prime Minister."

"Oh, yeah they tried," Sylar said. "He's fine though. How'd you find out?"

"It was on TV," Noah pushed Aviv over so he could sit down. He leaned back against his father's side.

"Well it's all over now," Sylar said. "No harm done. I met one of his security guards."

"You did?"

"Someone with an ability," Sylar said. "He says it should all be back to normal by next week."

"I wonder if the Prime Minister knows about abilities."

"It's possible," Sylar said. "Most Jews are aware of Kabbalistic mysticism as they call it."

"Probably," Noah stretched a bit before sitting up. "I'm going to go grab some sandwiches."

Sylar let him go. So long as Noah wasn't mad at him any more, he would try to keep on his son's good side until the time came to tell him everything. He was determined to be more careful with his words concerning Noah's differences as well & once more skimmed through the website Noah had shown him; though he was no closer to understanding it.

Raphael left with Yacov four days later to deliver the penstick & within two weeks, the news began to change. Now, Israel was able to drive back her invaders & somehow seemed to know exactly when & where to strike. There were hardly any raids in Jerusalem, the West Bank was once more under Israeli control & the Gaza strip was soon cleared of terrorists. It didn't end the ongoing conflict but it pushed it back beyond enemy lines for the first time in a long time. The end of the battle was no longer a myth but was still a long ways away.

Before the summer was over however, Sylar wished the war had ended by now. Noah received a rather official looking letter in the second-last week of summer. After reading through it, he looked up at his father. "I guess I was wrong about you for one thing. I always had a feeling I was born in New York but...well this proves I'm definitely an Israeli."

"What is it?"

"I have to join the IDF for two years."

Sylar dropped his coffee mug. It shattered on the floor, spraying its contents. "What?"

"Every native Israeli has to," Noah handed over the letter. "They're doing it a year early with me since my schooling is a year ahead." He looked down at the spill. "Are you alright?"

Sylar stared at the letter, thinking hard. He had covered everything when he had first brought Noah here. He didn't make Noah an American citizen to avoid getting caught by the Company over there. He didn't want any record linking his son to America. That was why he had registered Noah as a born citizen of Israel. Why didn't he think to look into its military requirements first? He slammed his hand on the table. "No. You can't join!"

"I have to."

"I don't want you in that sort of thing."

"Well Dad, I can't die. I'll be fine."

"Until they realize that no, you can not die!" Sylar snapped. "I've told you this before."

"Well I have no choice," Noah said. "I'm Israeli. I have to serve my time. It's only two years."

"Two years. Two minutes. Two seconds!" Sylar shook his head. "Do you have any idea how much can happen in that short time?"

"Dad," Noah sat down at the table. "Everyone has to do this. So unless I'm not born in this country, I have to go. I'll be careful. Besides, I doubt they'll put me on the front lines right now & with the way things are going, who knows? Maybe this war will end while I'm in service. I could come home early."

"I hope so." Sylar pushed both hands through his hair.

Noah looked the letter over before saying, "Dad, am I born in this country, or not?"

Sylar looked at him. "That's what your birth certificate says."

Noah put the letter aside. "What do you say?" Sylar could only stare at him but was unable to answer. "So I am American," Noah gave up on him. "Your silence is everything. New York? You took me away from that place to avoid that serial killer, didn't you? But New York is my home, right?"

"Noah."

"Don't bother answering," Noah stood up. "I already know. But I don't suppose there is time to get any proof of that before I have to report to my commander in two weeks, is there? It doesn't matter. I was thinking of maybe signing up any way since I can't die."

"What?" Sylar glared. "Haven't I told you to keep that ability of yours hidden?"

"Yes & I have no intention of putting myself on display," Noah said. "I was thinking of becoming a sniper. Long distance. Out of sight."

"Sniper!" Sylar scoffed, pressing one hand to his forehead. So there it was, the killer instinct that every Gray, Petrelli, Bennet & even Campbell due to mixing in with Gray, had. Noah had it as well & didn't even understand why. Only this time, it manifested in a Gray son as patriotism, heroism, doing his duty for the country of Israel.

"You don't think I can do it?"

"On the contrary," Sylar began. "Considering our family history, you might make an excellent sniper."

"Well," Noah sighed, picking up the letter again. "I'll just have to take your word for it." He ignored the glare as he walked away.

"Noah," Sylar called out several minutes later even though he knew he was alone by now. He sighed heavily. Just as their lives seemed to be back to normal, once more everything started unravelling fast.

Sylar silently fretted about it until the day Noah came home in uniform for the first time. Noah slowly closed the door behind him before facing his father. Sylar looked his son over & smiled quickly before catching himself. Noah had grown up into a handsome young man & that uniform did wonders on him. But the ability...would it be their downfall?

"So...you like it?" Noah finally asked.

"What father wouldn't be proud to see their son like this?" Sylar said, pulling Noah close. "But don't you dare get caught & I'm not referring to any terrorists."

"I don't plan to," Noah said. "I've mentioned my interest in being a sniper. They will consider it."

Sylar pulled away. "You sure you can't just tell them you're gay so they'll kick you out?"

"I'm not gay!" Noah groused. "Why would they kick me out for that anyway?"

"That's the way it used to be in America, last I checked."

"Well that's stupid!" Noah exclaimed.

"America isn't the brightest of countries at times," Sylar said. "Look at what happened when they voted that orange wonder in for President."

"That's some embarrassing history the world would like to forget," Noah said. "Where's René when we need him?"

"Probably skinny dipping on vacation in Hawaii."

"Ewww!" Noah complained.

"So how is your school work going on top of your training?" Sylar asked after a laugh.

"Fine," Noah snarled through gritted teeth. "My schedule is all different now & it's next to impossible to see Jason at the moment apart from weekends."

"It's only temporary," Sylar said. "It's also your last year of school. Jason has another one to go."

"Yeah, I know."

"These two years, you'll be done with the IDF as well I hope," Sylar went on. "By then, you can have all the time you want with Jason."

"Three years," Noah said. "Jason would only be halfway through his IDF training when I'm done."

"It will go by fast Noah."

"I hope so."

For Sylar, it was going by all too fast. He had mere months before having to confront Noah now & he was once more worrying about it. Worse, he had to do it alone since Ariel was no longer with him. Before he knew it, the Hanukkah season was once more approaching. Where was the time going?

Shortly before the festival began, Noah came into his father's bedroom one evening & lay beside him. "Dad, how would you feel if I converted to Judaism?"

Sylar tried but failed to not laugh. Noah sat up to watch him. "First of all Noah," Sylar began when he could speak. "I told you before, you can be whatever you want. Go ahead & convert."

"What's so funny then?"

"Two things, alright? You & I both know you just want to get closer with Jason. Besides that, in a million years, are you still going to be Jewish?" They stared at each other before Sylar added. "Think about it. You're immortal. What good would any religion do you?"

Noah lay back again. "It isn't just because of Jason. You've raised me with several Jewish values, especially the Sabbath. I've been thinking about it for years."

"Hmm, well, you're not lying."

"As for religion, immortality exists in all of them," Noah pointed out. "Right now, the Jewish one is the most logical, considering where we live."

"Well, you do what you want," Sylar switched off the light & rolled over to trap his son on the bed by putting one arm around him. "Just remember that I'm happy as an atheist clam."

A long silence followed in which Sylar slowly began to fall asleep. "Clams are unclean Dad."

"Shut up!" Sylar groaned.

Noah shoved the arm away & got up. "Good night."

"It will be if I can slee—oh come on Aviv! Go with Noah." Sylar tried to push the dog off his pillow but Aviv just barked, cast him a disapproving corgi glare & rolled over to sleep.

Noah curled up in his nest & texted Jason. "Dad's ok with it."

"You still haven't told me what 'it' is."

Without even looking, Noah quickly snatched up a random plushy about to fall off the edge & put it back where it belonged. "I will at school tomorrow."

"Is he still acting weird?"

"He seems to have calmed down a bit," Noah wrote back. "Right now he's fighting with Aviv for pillow space."

"LOL My money's on Aviv."

"Yup Lolol."

"By the way. I got a new phone. Same as you so we can swap & that guy your Dad stuck on us won't know you're using a real phone."

"Whoa! We'll be in so much trouble if we get caught!"

"So don't get caught. See you tomorrow."

Noah finally put his phone aside & went to sleep only to be rudely awakened about five hours later. Sylar banged on the door before striding in carrying Aviv. He tossed the dog onto Noah's chest. "Time to get up."

"It's 4.30! I have at least another hour to sleep!"

"Don't you get up this early when you're on duty?" Sylar grinned wider as Noah glared.

"They allowed me to come home for two weeks for Christmas & Hanukkah," Noah pointed out. "School will also be out in two days."

"Nothing like keeping your routine," Sylar laughed. "See you downstairs in ten minutes,"

Noah groaned & rolled over, burying his face in a stock pile of plush. "UGH! I hate everybody!" He trudged into the kitchen over fifteen minutes later. "Where are your glasses now?"

"Dude! I'm going back to bed," Sylar replied. "You're driving now, remember? I get to sleep in." Noah swore under breath. "Have fun at school today," Sylar laughed as he headed back upstairs with Aviv.

"I hate my life!" Noah complained to himself. He took his sweet time to finish breakfast as he didn't have to leave for almost another two hours. He wondered how to get his father off the military routine & stop waking him up so early all the time. By the time he was ready to leave, Aviv had just come downstairs after having a longer sleep with Sylar. Noah just glared at the dog before heading out to the garage to the car.

Noah parked the car close to the front doors of the school & got out. He was fully awake by now & the cooler winter wind helped. Checking his phone, he found a text from Jason to meet in the washroom before classes started to swap phones. René was standing guard near the washroom doors but didn't follow Noah inside. It was the only safe place to switch their phones around. Jason was already waiting for him.

"I'd still be careful with René watching," Jason said as he handed over his own phone before taking Noah's. "We'll switch back after classes. If we can keep it up for a few days, you can really catch up on some stuff I found."

"Sounds good," Noah pocketed the phone. "So, um, about the surprise. I was thinking, once you're a fully fledged Rabbi, do you want to help me convert?"

Jason stared at him. "Convert?" He finally gasped. "You mean that?"

"I've been thinking about it for years," said Noah. "Besides making things easier for you, I think there might be something beyond, ya know, all this. Dad has claimed to be atheist all this time, but how can he hate something that doesn't exist?"

"I often wonder if he isn't more agnostic than anything else,' Jason said. "With the way he goes on sometimes. He'll let you convert?"

"Yeah."

"Of course I'll help you!" Jason pulled Noah close for a moment. "You'll be my first guinea pig."

"Gee thanks!" Noah burst out laughing. "We better get going. See you after class."

It wasn't until the lunch recess that Noah managed to do anything with Jason's phone. Keeping René in sight, he plugged in the headphones & pretended to listen to music. He called up a game screen to have on display in case René came to check on him but was really going on the full unblocked internet of Jason's phone. For the first time, Noah felt he could look anything up without having to worry about getting caught. There were three things he wanted to look up. Other people beyond Israel who had abilities. He wanted to try finding some names & perhaps what their various powers were. Was there another immortal being? Who was the New York serial killer his father was hiding from?

Noah went straight for anything about people who had abilities & was rather amazed to find anything at all so easily. America, apparently, didn't hide abilities like Israel did; though, it didn't appear to be a wise choice to have super-powered humans exposed. It seemed to be a war raging between not only those with powers vs. those without, but also fighting among each other as well. A lot of them were around Noah's age as well, most claiming to come from parents with powers.

"Mister Gray?"

Noah glanced up at René who was standing dangerously close to him. He quickly called up the game screen before asking, "Something wrong?"

"Your next class is starting in two minutes."

Noah closed off all screens & checked the time. "Yikes!" He quickly stood up. "Remind me to not try new games on recess again!" He hurried away, hoping the Haitian had bought it. He didn't dare try anything on the shorter recess in case he went over the time.

"So," Jason began once they had a moment alone in the washroom. "Like what you saw?"

"I don't get why those in America don't stay hidden," Noah said. "But there are a lot more people with powers than I think even Dad knows about."

"It is pretty bad over there," Jason admitted, putting his phone away. "Same time tomorrow?"

"Definitely!" Noah hoped he had time to look up the other two things he wanted to know on one break. He assumed he probably wouldn't find any one else with regen as his own father had said it was a rare power & planned to spend most of the lunch break reading about the serial killer.

But all thoughts of real life slashers fled his mind the next day when he found her. The girl in the photo from his father's box appeared. Noah could do nothing but stare at one video he had found of her standing at a podium as if giving a speech. It was only forty seven seconds long but she was shot by someone from the crowd, only to heal instantly as someone pulled her out of sight to safety. He replayed the video several times before his watched beeped. Noah had set an alarm to warn him of the time before René would have a chance to get close to him. He put the phone away & passed the rest of the day in a daze.

When he met with Jason in the washroom once more, Noah barely managed to whisper, "I think Mom's alive."

"What?"

Noah got the video up. "You never looked for any one else with regen?"

"Didn't really think of it & anyway, I try not to do anything with René around," Jason said. "Besides didn't your Dad say it's a rare power?"

"It is," Noah said. "She's the only one that showed up. Look." He let Jason watch the video. "It's her, isn't it?"

Jason pocketed the phone. "That is definitely the girl in that photo."

"My Mom's alive!"

"Wait a minute," Jason began. "How do you know for sure she is your mother? Didn't she die in an explosion? Why would your Dad lie about that, of all things?"

"I just know & the point is, I don't think HE knows," said Noah.

"You're not making any sense."

"My power didn't show up until I got run over & died from it, right?" Noah reminded him. "What if this explosion happened & she got her power AFTER that, but too late for Dad to know she survived?"

"Oh," Jason thought about that for a moment. "OH! That. Wow. That's probably what happened! If it's her, that is."

"I'm sure of it. I gotta tell him!" Noah exclaimed. "He'll be so happy to know she's alive! Maybe she could come home. Get out of America."

"It's a good plan."

Noah gave him a look. "I'm getting my family back together. It's an excellent plan!"

"Mhm," Jason looked Noah over. "How are you going to explain how you found out without having your hide tanned? Or mine for that matter? Mine's more important since I can't heal as easily as you."

"Oh, yeah," Noah deflated slightly. "That could be a problem. Didn't think about that."

"Can you hold off for a day or two?" Jason asked. "We'll come up with something."

"Just a couple days," Noah insisted. "I can't hold something like this back for long! He has to know."

"I know," Jason said. "We need to get to the lobby. Something is going on." He led the way out & down the stairs to where a large group of students were chatting excitedly about something. Jason pushed forward to the table & grabbed a brochure to bring back to Noah. "Look at this."

Noah took the pamphlet. "It's another field trip for Grade 11 & 12. Leaves next week for the long weekend. Any student in history & biography can go to—" He quickly handed the paper back. "The last one was for Egypt. Dad let me go. But he will find a way to kill me before letting me go to this one since it's for New York."

"I suppose you're right," Jason dropped the thing into his bag. "I better get to the synagogue before my own Dad has a camel spider. See you on Friday."

Noah drove half way home before pulling over. "Is René around?"

It was several minutes before an answer came. "Dude, I'm trying to recite some Torah here. No he isn't."

"Then get me on that plane to New York."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"I'm going to New York to get my mother," Noah returned.

"Have you forgotten who your father is? He'll never sign the consent form!"

"So let's make him another one!" Noah insisted. "We can't verbally lie to him but a piece of paper with any destination should get by that ability."

"You're crazy!"

"I'm going to New York, one way or the other!" Noah declared. "I've been wanting to for ages but I couldn't because, uh something. Never mind. This is the only way for you to be safe."

"What are you talking about?"

It was Noah's turn to take some time before answering. "There is something in New York that has Dad running scared. It could harm you unless you're disguised as a student. You'll be fine so long as you stay with the group."

"If your Dad finds out, he'll be really mad."

"He'll only be mad for a moment. When he sees Mom alive again, it'll be fine."

"Know what? Just tell him now."

"I want to bring her here as a surprise."

"I'll deal with you later; I gotta get back to my recital!"

"Sure, but this isn't over."

"You bet it isn't!"

Noah made it home before Sylar did & went to bed early to avoid seeing him. He got up a little earlier than usual on Friday though still late in the morning. Sylar was already gone to be with the Kabbalah, making it easy for Noah to hold off on telling him anything. He found Jason at their usual favorite restaurant & after ordering, he tried to say something.

"No."

"Jason." 

"I said no."

"Why not?"

"Noah, you just FEEL that this girl is your mother," Jason pointed out. "What if she really isn't & doesn't know anything about you?"

"Who else could she be?" Noah shrugged. "Why would Dad keep a picture of her?"

"Maybe they were friends," Jason said. "Or maybe she's a sister of his. Your aunt. Did you ever think about that?" He added, "What if she isn't your mother & you go sauntering on over there calling her Mom? She'll think you're an idiot! Unless you know for sure, there isn't much you can do."

"I suppose so," Noah sighed. "I would have to get a DNA test first perhaps." Jason rolled his eyes so far back he saw his brain for a moment. "But she is still someone important in Dad's life. I want to meet her."

"You shouldn't go."

"I have to!"

"No you don't," Jason disagreed. "There is no reason why you can't just show him the video. You don't have to go to New York."

"Yes I do." 

"Why?" Jason demanded. Noah didn't answer. "Damn it Noah! There is nothing in New York worth it. If that woman is anything to your Dad at all, then your Dad can go get her."

"It's more than that," Noah said. "I've always wanted to go home. Just to see it."

"Home?"

Noah hesitated before saying, "Jason? I was born in New York, okay? I'm not really an Israeli citizen."

"What?"

"Dad lied on my birth certificate when he fled here with me," Noah said. "That's why I still have to do service because he made me an Israelite on paper. But I'm from New York."

Jason was beyond shocked. He leaned close to Noah. "If the government finds out what your Dad did about your records, he could get in trouble! Why would he do that?"

"I have no intention of exposing him," Noah replied. "I don't mind serving my time in the IDF either. I was already thinking of joining it anyway. But he did it to protect me."

"From what?"

"Remember those slasher movies we like to watch?"

"YOU like to watch," Jason glared.

"Dad knows someone like that in real life," Noah ignored him. Jason put both hands on his face in a hushed gasp. "A New York serial killer no less."

"Oh you are too much!" Jason finally managed to say. "You are really too much!" They stared at each other.

"Jason," Noah whined.

"What about this killer?"

"Well you'll be with the school group & I can't die," Noah said. "Besides, that was almost twenty years ago. He probably isn't even there any more. America has bigger problems with exposed powers in humans."

Jason rubbed his face with both hands. "I bet you get this impulsiveness from your mother, 'cause Rabbi Gray is very reserved & calculating. Bit creepy really."

"I would like to know that for sure," said Noah after a short laugh.

"I know you would," Jason said. "I get it. You want to know your mother but when we get back, you're own your own. I'm not risking his wrath!"

"You'll help me get to New York?"

Jason sighed heavily. "It's impossible to resist you." Noah looked away, turning red. "First of all," Jason went on. "What are we going to do about the consent form? Secondly, how do you intend to get rid of René?"

"Can we knock him out with a sledge hammer?" Noah laughed.

"I wish," Jason leaned back in his seat before going on. "There's also the matter of dodging your Dad. What if he comes to the airport with you? He'll know right away & stop you."

"Well since school is going to be out for the holidays now, I can just stay at your place," Noah said. "But Dad never comes to the airport with me. He told me once he shouldn't be seen at airports."

"Really? Any idea why?"

"He just said it wasn't his thing," Noah shrugged.

"Your Dad gets weirder every day," Jason gave up. "I have an idea. You said you will stay at my place for the rest of the holidays. Can you get a copy of your Dad's signature? I'll make a copy of my consent form before getting Dad to sign it. If you come over for Shabbot dinner, I could give it to you & you can just forge his signature onto it. He'll never know until it's too late. Then you can just stay with me until it's time to leave. I will drop off both consent forms on the last day possible so hopefully, no one would think to call your father to confirm it in time. I'll also pay for your plane tickets so it won't show up on any of your records in case your Dad goes snooping. We don't have to worry about René at my place either."

"I could leave out the fact we are going on a field trip," Noah said slowly. "Just tell him I'm going to be with you for a few days. He might never find out."

"That would be a miracle if he doesn't," Jason said.

"We are back a day before Christmas & then after that, I go back on duty," Noah went on. "If Dad asks when I'll be back I can just say that. I'll go home before returning to the base & I'll have her with me. It'll all work out!"

"Just remember to leave me out of it if it doesn't," Jason ordered.

"It'll be fine," Noah laughed. "Calm down. Let me run over to Dad's office right now & let him now I'll be staying with you for a few days. He should be just about done with the Kabbalah for the holidays so I better go before they finish today."

"Alright but be careful," Jason warned. "He has more than one power & we don't know all of them."

"I know," Noah said as he got up to leave. The small temple was only about fifteen minutes away by driving. Noah hurried in to find his father. He walked in on a very odd scene.

"It's driving me crazy," Yacov was saying to Sylar. "That cat my roommate got has it in for me."

"Must be something about you it doesn't like," said a woman sitting at the table.

"It wants to kill me, I'm sure," Yacov told her. "Does anyone want a free cat?"

""You'll be fine," the woman said.

"Come on Merida," Sylar interjected. "Help the poor guy out. Just think, you could be playing with a nice soft pussy tonight."

"Thanks Rabbi, but I can play with a nice soft pussy any time I want, seeing as how I'm a girl," Merida began. There was a collective gasp among the others. "Unlike either of you who probably need written invitations to get anywhere near one."

Laughter broke out across the room as Sylar's face turned redder than a beet. Yacov turned away, looking horrified while Noah tried to back track but was met with the wall.

"Yup," Sylar slowly started. "That sounded a hell of a lot better in my head."

"I bet it did, Rabbi," Merida was crying. "You walked into that one."

"I sure did!" Sylar got up from his desk & went out into the hall with Yacov close behind.

"Hey Gabriel?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever try to help me sell cats again," Yacov finally said.

"Nope, no," Sylar sank to the floor, shaking with laughter. "Never again!"

"Uh Dad?" Noah came out a moment later.

Sylar stared at him. "Oh hell no. Were you in there?"

"Yup!" Noah turned away, laughing. When he could keep his face straight, he said. "She's got a point."

"Shut up," Sylar & Yacov ordered at the same time.

Noah just snickered before saying, "Uh I'm going to stay with Jason for a few days ok? I'll be back in time for Christmas."

Sylar did a thumb up with one hand. "No problem!"

Noah walked away as all three were once more laughing. He hurried to the car before his Dad could recover & ask for more details. He went straight home to pack a few things & find something with his father's signature written on it. That was relatively easy since there was a Hanukkah card from both of them ready for Tirzah & Nehemiah so Noah took a picture of the signature then put the card into an envelope to bring along since he was going there any way.

Late in the afternoon, Noah turned into the Gatineau driveway. He parked the car on the grass by the side & sat still in the driver's seat. He realized suddenly that the next time he would see his father would be most likely after coming back from New York. He was suddenly apprehensive about it, knowing his father's first reaction wouldn't be good. But only until he saw her, Noah kept telling himself. It would be the best Christmas present he could ever give his father.

"I'm going to New York," Noah suddenly gasped. "I'm really doing this!" He got out of the car & staggered to the house, feeling both exhilarated & terrified. What if he couldn't find her before the trip ended? What if he came back empty-handed? His father would be furious one way or the other, Noah knew, but if he had her, it would calm Sylar down.

Jason opened the door to let him in. "You alright?"

Noah let out a long sigh before answering. "By the way, if Dad gets nosy these next few days, just distract him by asking how the pussy is doing."

"What?" Jason stared at him. Noah explained what happened & both doubled over in pain.

"It's probably sheer dumb luck I walked in on that conversation," Noah said through a gasp of air. "I can keep Dad busy with that for a while."

"What is so funny?" Tirzah asked as the pair came into the living room & flopped onto the couch still guffawing. It took either of them a while before they could tell her. She just rolled her eyes as she left them alone in the room.

Noah put the card on the pile of others waiting to be opened later & called up the screen of his father's signature. With Jason's help, they got it onto the consent form for Noah & then Jason put both away before anyone could ask about it.

The next few days passed without incident. Noah did send a text back to his father to let him know he had taken the cards, then as a precaution he quickly asked about the pussy...cat, earning a short & sweet 'fuck off' & nothing more. Noah sent back several devil laughing icons & left it at that. So long as he could keep that up, he hoped his father wouldn't pry & end up using any of those abilities around him.

On the other hand, it didn't stop Sylar from prying into other aspects of Noah's life. "Speaking of which," he texted back. "How are you & Jason doing about that?" Noah rolled his eyes & sent back the same short & sweet answer, earning his own row of devil laughing icons. Noah put his phone aside on the table with a little more force than he intended to show & ripped up a piece of challah bread. Jason took hold of his hand for a moment before finishing up some fish from his own plate.

Nehemiah watched the pair for a moment. "So what's going on with you two lately?"

Jason quietly exchanged some words with Noah for a moment. Noah nodded quickly so Jason announced to the table, "Noah has decided to convert."

"What?" Nehemiah smiled broadly at Noah. "Seriously?"

"What about your father?" Tirzah asked.

"He's happy as an atheist clam," Noah shrugged. "That's what he told me."

"But he is ok with you converting?"

"Seems like it."

"I'll start working with him once I'm accepted as a Rabbi," Jason said. "I'd like to help him convert."

"Well," Nehemiah extended a hand to Noah for a moment. "Sometime next summer, welcome to the clan. Think you'll join the Kabbalah as well?"

"Dad wants me to be in his group," Noah said. "But that can't be for another couple of years."

"It'll go by fast," Nehemiah said. "Just like these past few days. You two should get to bed early. Fly out first thing in the morning."

"I'm surprised your Dad let you," Tirzah said, making both Noah & Jason freeze. "I thought he didn't like America." 

"He doesn't really care about America," Noah said. "But I'm just going with the school, not running around the country by myself. I guess it doesn't matter to him as far as that's concerned. Besides, I am almost eighteen anyway. He can't hold me back forever either."

"That's true," Tirzah said.

"He has mentioned to us about talking to you soon," Nehemiah added, making Noah look up at him. "I guess this is his way of starting."

"What do you mean?" Noah asked.

Nehemiah looked unusually uncomfortable. "It's a father/son thing. For your birthday."

"My birthday isn't until May."

"I know," Nehemiah said. "But for this one, Gabriel has a lot to prepare for. I guess this is the start of it."

It was now both Noah & Jason's turn to feel uncomfortable. They had planned this on their own. It had nothing to do with any birthday. "Maybe," Jason shrugged it off. "Rabbi Gray is very mysterious."

"Yeah," Tirzah said in an odd voice. "He is. Well, let's get you off to bed. It's a long flight to America."

Once they were in Jason's bed & left alone in his room, Noah turned the light back on. "What do you think that was about? My Dad planning something for my eighteenth birthday?"

"I don't know," Jason replied.

"Maybe I shouldn't do this," Noah stared at the ceiling.

"Well you still have plenty of time to back out," Jason said.

Noah rolled over, putting his back into Jason's chest. "But she's his Christmas present. It's my last Christmas & I want it to be big with him."

"I'm sure you can still do Christmas with your Dad after you converted," Jason said. "You guys are keeping it secular to begin with anyway. You never made it about that radical rabbi from two thousand years ago."

"I guess you're right," Noah stretched out to turn the light off again.

Noah lay awake for a long time after Jason had fallen asleep beside him. He was nervous about sneaking off to America behind his father's back. He kept wondering if the school would figure out that one consent form was forged. What if René showed up? What if he couldn't find her in time? What was his father planning for his next birthday, his last birthday since Jews don't celebrate those things?

He was just on the verge of sleep when Nehemiah came into the bedroom to get them both up for the flight. Noah was suddenly wide awake in a rare morning moment & was in the car before Jason could figure out dream from reality for once. At the airport, he kept looking around for René, but so far, he didn't show up. From the bay window, Noah watched the large plane come in. It soon started to unload.

Jason grabbed his hand. "Last chance to back down."

Noah realized the plane was half way through boarding & they were next. "No," He said in a small shaky voice. "No I've come too far. Let's finish this."

As they walked down the hall towards the plane, Jason said, "You do know your Dad will find a way to kill you for this, right?"

"Not with her by my side," Noah insisted. After a short hesitation at the door, he stepped over the threshold onto the plane headed for America.


	19. Chapter 19

**(19) A Sword Shall Pierce Your Heart _"Luke 2:35"_**

Noah tried to find a better position in the chair before complaining at last, "This is the longest flight I've ever been on."

Jason just laughed. "This is very short for me. The longest I've been in the air on one trip is thirty six hours."

"Really? There's a flight that long?"

"No, I mean the entire trip going one way. It involved three different planes," Jason explained. "I do it twice a year."

"I think I would rather die," Noah grumbled. "I prefer travelling with Dad. He can just beam over any where he wants."

"But you've been on planes before?"

"Dad usually let me go on my own for most of the field trips," said Noah. "The longest flight I was on was only about four hours."

"This is the third time a trip was for America," Jason remarked. "He didn't allow you on those even though they didn't go to New York."

"Now that I think of it," Noah suddenly added. "I wonder if I was alone. He might have stuck someone from his Kabbalah group with me without my knowing."

"Wouldn't be surprised if he did," Jason scoffed. "This might be the first time you actually do anything on your own."

"Well he is going to have to get used to it," Noah shifted again without much luck. "I've told him before that there isn't much he can do in a century or a thousand years. I'm going to end up all over the world eventually."

"What did he say about that?"

"He wasn't too pleased but amazingly, he got the point." Noah twitched again before swearing in Hebrew. The plane shifted with him.

"Hey look," Jason pointed out the window. "There's America. We will probably see New York soon."

"Have you ever been in New York City?"

"Only for lay overs," Jason answered. "I did get to see Ground Zero once while waiting for my next plane, but apart from that, I haven't really paid attention to the city."

Noah watched the approach for a while before stretching enough to arch his back out of the chair. "This descent is taking for ever!"

"Will you stop?" Jason laughed at him.

Noah ignored him as he stared down at a bluish green speck. As they got closer, he could make out the Statue Of Liberty. "I wonder where Dad lived?" He mused to himself out loud.

"I could look that up tomorrow," Jason said. "For now, we'll probably all be settled into the hotel & we can sleep tonight before the school takes us anywhere."

"Mhm," Noah continued to watch the land rise up to them.

"You'll want to pass out the moment we get into our room, with the way you've been fidgeting."

"Probably."

Jason cast his boyfriend a dark look. "What are you scheming now?" He finally whined.

"You know how these field trips work," Noah said. "Can't leave the group. Always have a buddy. We will only be able to go wherever the school had planned."

"Yeah, so?"

"So the only time I have to myself is at night," Noah pointed out. "I came here to find her & I only have three nights to do it in since the three days are for the school & travel time."

"You want us to go out into the heart of New York City in the middle of the night?" Jason gasped.

Noah waited for a bump of turbulence to settle as the plane adjusted its wings before answering. "Just me, Jason."

"You're going alone?"

"I need you to cover for me in case our rooms are checked," Noah said. "Besides, what about that serial killer? If he's still around, I can't have you killed on my account."

There was a thud as the plane landed. "I guess you're right," said Jason. "I could look up this serial killer at night while you're out. It's about twenty years ago right?"

"Around the time I was born," Noah nodded. "Dad took me away from here because of that killer."

"Alright, I'll start about a year or two before you were born & see if I can find the guy," Jason finally managed to stand up & pulled both their carry on bags out of the storage.

For a while, killers & immortal women were pushed from their minds as everyone disembarked & took their time getting sorted out on the way to the hotel the school had rented for everyone. The next thing was getting a good meal before settling into rooms. It was two students per room so naturally, Jason & Noah got one together. They dumped their stuff on the spare bed & lay back on the other one.

"So, where do you plan to start?" Jason asked.

"Can I borrow your phone?" Noah sat up. Jason handed it over. "I'm going to look for her first," Noah pulled up a picture of a young girl. "Natalia Montel. I looked into trying to find some names of people with abilities in New York & she came up."

"Does it say what she can do?"

"Not much," Noah said. "But it seems to have to do with helping you. See? Someone claimed they could see while she was near them even though they were blind. Here's another one. He could hear while around her but otherwise he is deaf."

"So her ability fixes someone's disability," Jason said.

"I don't think it's permanent," said Noah. "Just when they're around her. She's in Manhattan anyway."

"What will you do if you find her?"

"I'll ask her if she knows about the one I'm looking for," said Noah.

Jason sat up. "From what I've been seeing, a lot of these people with abilities are fighting each other as well. What if she attacks you?"

"Well," Noah got up & grabbed one of his bags. He pulled out a dark greenish official looking shirt & a slightly darker cap to match. "She can go ahead & try."

"You brought your uniform here?!"

"Not all of it," said Noah. "Just this bit. I didn't bring any of the weapons, don't worry."

"I can't wait to put this on next year," Jason touched the IDF badge on one side of the shirt.

"She'd be crazy to try attacking an Israeli soldier," Noah pointed out. "Commander Tohar said I was unusually stealthy for one just starting. It comes naturally to me & is a great quality to have as a sniper."

"I guess going around New York City at night will be easy for you," Jason said.

"Most likely," Noah laughed. "It's finding any of them that I'm worried about. I hope I have enough time." He turned the cap over in his hands a few times before adding quietly, "I have to find her Jason."

"I know," Jason moved to sit beside Noah & put an arm around him. "But you be careful. You can't die but you can get kidnapped. I want you to take my phone to keep contact with me at all times. I'll keep your phone & I can use the computer here to follow you while I try to find that serial killer. My phone has a GPS in it so you can call up a map to follow."

"Alright," Noah glanced at the window. "It's getting dark. I better get ready." He started getting changed while Jason put a map of Manhattan onto the phone.

Jason looked Noah over as he passed the phone to him. Even with just simple black pants, Noah still looked like a soldier who had lost his rifle. "That looks really good on you."

Noah took the phone. "Someday it might look better on the floor."

"Okay! I think you've been hanging around your Dad's office for too long!"

"I think you're right!" Noah turned away, laughing.

"What am I going to do with you?" Jason asked rhetorically.

"I'll think about that, let you know some other time."

Jason leaned closer to Noah. "Tease."

"You like it," Noah said before kissing him.

Jason pulled Noah close. "I just thought of something," he began. "How do you plan on getting out of here without getting caught? The four teachers that came with us are all on the first floor & probably still hanging out in one of the lounges." Noah soon pulled away & went to the window. He opened it, looked down outside, then got onto the ledge. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Jason shrieked, hauling Noah back inside.

"Relax!" Noah ordered. "We're only on the second floor. I can easily jump down."

"You could break a leg."

"So what? It'll heal before I know it." Noah looked around outside the window. "I can use that tree to get back in when I come back."

"When do you plan on coming back?"

"Before dawn of course," Noah said. "I would like to get a little sleep before we have to go with everyone else. Where are we going anyway?"

"Some of the museums & Ground Zero for history," Jason replied. "Also two other schools for the other classes like biology & I think chemistry came with us as well."

"Ground Zero is on my to-do list," Noah pulled himself onto the window sill once more. "Now, I'm just going to drop down. I'll be fine." He moved back until he could hop off. Jason leaned out the window to see Noah land on his feet on the ground, then crumple over & lay flat on his back. A moment later, Noah stood straight & shook it off. He looked up at Jason, waved & ran off into the night.

Jason turned the light on in the washroom & opened the cold water tap in the sink before closing the door. That way if anyone came around, he could just claim Noah was in the shower & hope for the best. He went to the desk next in one corner & sat down at the computer provided for each student pair to work on. He put Noah's phone beside the keyboard, then found a GPS tracker program to follow his phone to keep track of Noah at all times. Lastly, he got a second tab open to start looking up recent New York killers.

It wasn't far to the big island of Manhattan. A half hour cab ride took him to the center of it. Noah had gotten American money with Jason who also showed him how to use it, including the fact that America also has a tipping system, so he used that to pay the driver.

Noah held on to the driver's hand for a moment. "There's an extra fifty in here. If anyone asks about an IDF soldier, you don't know anything, understand?"

"Thank you sir!" the driver smiled. "No problem! No idea!"

Noah patted the driver's shoulder once before getting out. While he thought it was due to his military training, Noah truly had no clue as to why he was so good at stealth & caution. He quickly disappeared into the dark night much like his father had done countless times down some of these very streets almost two decades before. Checking the phone, he called up the address associated with Natalia Montel. He located her apartment several minutes later. It was on the third level.

Noah looked upwards at the round of outside stairs until he found her balcony. He jumped up to grab the ladder & pulled it down before hurrying up. But once he got there, he suddenly realized how creepy this all seemed. A strange guy just climbing up to the flat of a girl he didn't know anything about apart from the fact she had a power would go over really well not only with the damsel about to be in distress but also any cops she would most certainly call on him.

Noah smacked himself on the forehead. "What am I doing?" He asked aloud. If he had known, he could simply thank Sylar's genetics for the rather awkward fix he had just put himself into. He stared at her empty balcony. All he had to do was climb over & tap on the glass. Most likely she would shoot at him, or throw a knife. Something defensive. Noah realized he hadn't thought this through as well as he had planned after all. He took out the phone, found a notepad app & began typing something.

Ten minutes later, he finally jumped onto the balcony. Looking in, he saw her curled up on the couch, watching TV, oblivious to his presence at the glass sliding door. "Here goes nothing," Noah muttered to himself. He pressed the phone to the glass before knocking.

Natalia jumped & looked around. Seeing him standing there, she quickly stood up & began backing away. Noah shook his head & pointed at the phone but she was too far to read his message. He sent her a confused look before coming up with an idea. He tapped quickly three times, then three slow taps, then three quick times again. Natalia stopped moving away so he tried SOS again. Natalia grabbed a knife from her plate & slowly moved towards him. Noah tried to look as pitiful & pathetic as possible, hoping she'd drop the knife but she didn't. She looked down at the phone.

"I'm from Israel. IDF soldier in training. Not going to hurt you. Need help finding my Mom."

Natalia opened the door about an inch before putting up the safety lock. "You're a long way from home, Sir."

Noah lowered the phone. "Please, I'm off duty right now. You can call me Noah."

"What do you want with me?"

"Nothing really," Noah said. "I'm just starting to find out about others like me on my own. My Dad is a Rabbi in Israel. He oversees some special people in the Kabbalah who are like you & I, but old. Well older. But I found your name & you're the only one I know by name in America. I think my mother is here. I'm trying to find her in the next couple of days."

"What do you mean, like us?"

"You know, people with powers?" Noah said. "Some can fly. Some heal. My Dad can move things without touching them."

"It's very dangerous in America to be open about any ability one may have."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"I don't know you. What makes you think I know your mother?"

"Because she's here," Noah said. "My Dad thinks she died in an explosion. But I saw a video of her here in America. I'm hoping to find her in time before the holidays are over."

Natalia gave him a sharp look. "Jews don't celebrate Christmas."

"No, they have Hanukkah," Noah said. "It's a week long holiday. Almost finished."

"Oh right, I forgot about that one."

"Anyway I'm not Jewish."

"Why are you IDF if you're not Jewish?"

"Every Israeli citizen has to serve two years," Noah explained. "It doesn't matter if you are Jewish, Muslim, secular. If you are born in Israel you have to serve."

"Oh, I see."

"I will be converting to Judaism in the summer though," Noah went on. "My boyfriend is studying to become a Rabbi. Then he'll help me convert."

"Of course you're gay," Natalia giggled. "All cute guys are."

Noah forced a laugh before saying, "Actually we're asexual. You can look that up on the AVEN website on your own time."

"Oh I know all about it," Natalia said. "Someone in my school is like that."

"Oh good," Noah leaned back against the door frame.

"So you think I know your mother?" Natalia asked. "What's her name?"

Noah looked at her for a moment. "I don't know."

"You don't know your own mother's name?"

"She died, or I mean my Dad thinks she died just after I was born," Noah said. "I never met her & Dad...it's hard for him. Even now. I can tell they were close. He wants to talk to me about her some day, but then I found this picture of her in a box he kept locked away. I just know it's her. Then that video came out & she is still alive."

"Do you have the picture?"

"I have the video I saw actually," Noah said. "Give me a moment to find it." He began looking through Jason's phone.

Natalia slowly opened the door all the way. She held up her knife as he stepped inside. "Don't try anything!"

Noah lowered the phone. "Natalia, I swear I am not here to hurt you," He spoke softly, soothingly just like his father, but unlike Sylar, he meant what he said. "I just want to find my Mom. If you don't know her, I'll leave & not bother you again." He held up the phone. "I'm sure that's her. She can't die it seems! Do you know of her?"

Natalia took the phone & watched the video. She handed it back & raised her knife. "Do you really think that woman is your mother?"

"I think so, yes," Noah said. "Why else would Dad have a picture of her?"

"Probably to remind himself of what she looks like to protect himself, maybe you as well, from that monster!"

"W-What?"

"I only know two things about her," Natalia went on sharply. "I'm sorry but last I checked, she doesn't have children. She can't be your mother!"

"But...I don't understand."

"The other thing is, she is trying to kill my father!"

It was as if time stopped for Noah. He suddenly swore in Hebrew. "Oh!"

"What now?"

Noah felt cold yet hot at the same time. "Dad's New York killer!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look I was born here in New York."

"I thought you said you were Israeli?!"

"I am! Dad lied on my records so on paper I'm Israeli," Noah said. "But Dad told me he took me away from New York when I was born to avoid a serial killer. If she's not my mother then she has to be the killer he ran from."

"I wouldn't put it past her," Natalia said.

"Dad said this killer he knew killed without mercy, took a lot of lives," Noah went on. "Liked to slice people up just like in an old slasher movie."

Natalia slightly lowered her knife. "That doesn't sound like Claire's style."

"Claire?"

"That woman," Natalia said. "She doesn't go around cutting people up. She's a vigilante for the wrong crowd. Thinks my father is guilty of things he never did & is supposed to take him down in the name of some justice. As if there is any of that left for people like us in this country!"

"Has she killed anyone?"

"A few," Natalia said. "But her main target is Dad. I can go for months without seeing him when he is in hiding. She's been at it for years. I think she lost her purpose a long time ago."

"How does she kill someone?"

"She just shoots them," Natalia shrugged. "Not a slice & dicer. But that reminds me of some horror stories my Dad used to tell me about someone who did kill like that. Ever heard of Sylar?"

"No," Noah shook his head. "Hang on, isn't that a watch company?"

"It used to be, until that dreadful killer showed up," Natalia said. "But apparently Sylar is five thousand years into the future now. We no longer have to worry about him."

"Five thousand years?" Noah gasped.

"Yeah," Natalia nodded. "It was around twenty years ago, just before I was born, when the world was finally rid of that one. I'd bet that's the killer your Dad was trying to avoid."

"The timing fits," Noah mused to himself.

Natalia sighed & lowered her knife again. "I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Oh you helped me quite a bit," said Noah. He looked imploringly at her. "Are you sure she never had children?"

"Quite sure," Natalia said. "She never had a steady partner in her life. Too busy trying to put the world right, or so she claims."

"Well then," Noah stepped back to the balcony. "As promised, I will leave you be. I'm glad to have met you though."

"Same. It isn't every day a gal has a cute Israeli soldier drop in on her," Natalia teased, making Noah go red. "But maybe next time, try the door? You scared me when you first showed up!"

"Sorry," Noah quickly half-bowed. "_Shalom aleichem (Peace upon you)." _He grabbed hold of the railing to start climbing down.

"Wait," Natalia put a hand on his arm. "Have you ever considered a DNA test?"

"Yeah that's my second option," Noah said. "But I really thought that girl...oh well. It doesn't matter now. I mean if she doesn't have kids, obviously she isn't my mother."

"Maybe my Dad can help," Natalia offered.

"No," Noah sighed. "I'm only here for three days. On a school field trip. You said you don't see your father for months."

"But I always know where he is," Natalia said.

"No, no," Noah shook his head. "We don't want to risk his exposure."

"I have a way of contacting him," Natalia tried. "Only three people know how to get him. I'm one of them. Can you wait for a couple hours?"

"Sure," Noah came back inside.

Natalia led him to the couch. While he settled in with a glass of the wine she had on the coffee table, she went into the kitchen with her own phone. Noah sent Jason a short text. "I'm with Natalia right now. Will be here a couple hours. Her Dad might be able to help me find Mom. The woman who can heal isn't her though. Natalia knows about her & said she never had kids. Her name's Claire. Talk to you soon." He turned the phone off & put it away.

"What do you mean, 'a cute Israeli soldier dropped in on you'?" A man half-laughed, half-retorted on the phone. "Stuff like that just doesn't happen!"

"I'm telling you, he just showed up!" Natalia insisted. "He thought Claire was his mother at first!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm hearing all this but I'm not getting it," the man huffed. "What's his name?"

"Noah."

"Noah," the man repeated. "But not Bennet, right?"

"No," Natalia rolled her eyes. "He's around my age. He's been the perfect gentleman so far."

"Yes, so far," The man echoed in annoyance.

"Just come over, please?" Natalia begged. "If he's legit, you can get my Dad to help him find his real mother & if not, you can kill him."

"If your Dad finds out about this, he'll be the one killing you!"

"Get over here! NOW!" Natalia hissed. "I need help."

"I'm coming!"

Natalia closed her phone & went back to the living room. "He's on his way."

"Your Dad?"

"No," Natalia sat down beside him. "The one you have to convince before getting any where near my Dad." She poured herself some more wine. "It's my job to keep you occupied until he gets here." After taking a sip she said, "So, tell me about Israel. What's it like in the military?"

Noah laughed nervously as he sat up straighter. "Ok. I'll talk."

It was over an hour later when Natalia received a knock at her real door this time. She let the man in & pointed Noah out to him. "That's him, right there."

Noah stood up quickly, holding his cap in one hand. "_Ahlan...(Hello...)," _He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I meant hello."

The man stared at him. "I know we never met before, but you look extremely familiar to me. Who are you?"

Noah stepped forward, holding out a free hand to shake. "I'm Noah. I'm looking for my mother."

"So I was told," the man glanced at Natalia. "She says you don't know your mother's name."

"That's right, I don't," Noah said. "I guess I don't know what she looked like either."

"Do you know your father's name?"

"Yes of course!" Noah nodded quickly. "Gabriel Gray." This answer earned two very drastic responses from Natalia & her friend.

Natalia screamed, dropping her glass to the floor as she put both hands over her face. The man, however, gaped at him for a long moment before saying, "Your father is Gabriel Gray? Are you serious?" He grabbed Noah's hand & pulled him forward to inspect him. "Incredible! Yes, I see the similarities all too well now. Simply amazing!"

"You know my Dad?"

"Know him?" The man scoffed. "I'm his brother."

"Brother?!" It was Noah's turn to be shocked. He looked the man over. He was older than Natalia. His brown hair streaked with some gray was held back in a neat pony tail that reached his shoulders. He had a small scar over his left eye.

"Well, half. Same Dad, different Moms. I'm Luke by the way, Luke Campbell." Luke finally released Noah.

"You grew up with my Dad?"

"No!" Luke all but whispered in a hushed reverence. "No. I only met him once & I'm lucky to be alive despite that encounter."

"What do you mean?"

"Every serial killer has some sort of code & his was to not kill children," Luke said. He leaned back on the table. "He let me go. I'm one of four people who survived his lust for blood."

Noah took a step back, raising both hands for a moment. "Wait, what?" He stared at Luke. "What are you talking about?" He glanced at Natalia who was still shocked into stillness & silence, hands still on face as she peered at him through wide eyes.

Luke stood straight. "You didn't know?" He let a moment go by. "Aw hell! I'm so sorry. I'm still flabbergasted at standing in the presence of the son of the greatest serial killer the world has ever seen: Sylar!"

"Serial killer?" Noah gasped weakly. "My Dad wouldn't hurt anyone except ISIS terrorists!"

"Oh is that how he is quenching his blood lust now?" Luke returned non-nonchalantly.

"He's just a Rabbi."

"A Rabbi?" Luke was once more gaping. "Rabbi Sylar is it?"

"What? No. NO! Natalia? Who's Sylar?"

"G-Gabriel," Natalia whimpered. "Gabriel Gray. Sylar is his killer alias."

Luke called up something on his phone & showed a picture of Sylar. "Is this man your father or not?"

"That's him, but he usually wears glasses," Noah glanced back & forth between Luke & Natalia a few times. "Oh I get it. This is some sort of test I have to pass before I can meet your father. It's okay. But that wasn't very nice you know. My father is a very gentle, kind man."

Natalia actually managed to snort through her fingers before she lowered her hands at last. "Oh you poor thing. Luke? I think he's legit. He really doesn't know!"

"I can see that," Luke pocketed his phone & beckoned for Noah to come over. "It really does tear me up inside to do this to you, but there's no going back now. Come sit down." He pulled a chair out from the computer. "Let me show you your father."

An hour later found Noah curled up on the couch, sobbing. Natalia sat with him, holding his hand. "You're safe with us, Noah."

Luke knelt down on the carpet, softly petting Noah's hair. "I'm so sorry, my dear boy. I really am."

"That can't be him!"

"Noah," Natalia tried to move closer.

"NO!" Noah punched the arm of the couch he was pressed up against. "He took me away to avoid the serial killer." He looked up at Luke for a moment. "He was framed." Luke started shaking his head but Noah persisted. "He has to be!"

"No, he was not."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" Noah screamed at him through fresh tears. "That monster! He can not be my father! Dad wouldn't do that. He was framed! That's why he left."

"If I hadn't have met him," Luke replied in a low voice. "I'd say that was a possibility. But I was with him for a few days."

"He didn't kill you."

"Only because I was under age," Luke tried again. "If he sees me now, he'll kill me. Especially after what I just did to you. He will destroy me! The only blood that matters to him is what he can spill."

"No!" Noah turned away, crying again. "It can't be true."

"While I was with him," Luke went on. "He tried grooming me into a killer as well. But he also struggled to not kill me. I was already around sixteen by then. He eventually drove me away from him."

"Why were you with him in the first place if he was that bad?"

"Because I was young," Luke let slip a tear of his own. "Stupid. In awe of being in the presence of a celebrity. Sylar! A brother I never knew I had. My life at home wasn't all that great. I tried to escape by tagging along with him. My idea was 'oh he's my big brother. He'll want to look out for me.' Oh God! Was I ever stupid back then! He almost killed me to drive me away. I wouldn't even listen to him. I almost got myself killed!"

With a wail of anguish, Noah launched himself at Luke's throat, only to collapse into his arms as another wave of tears engulfed him. The truth pierced his heart like a sword. Luke sank down to the floor again, pulling Noah into his lap. He held Noah for a long time as Noah curled over, bowed down to the floor. He was murmuring something but Luke couldn't understand the language.

Natalia knelt beside Luke. "What's he saying?" She whispered.

"Probably nothing," Luke whispered back. "All we can do is hang on to him until he is out of shock."

Natalia bent her head closer to Noah for a moment. "It's Hebrew I think. Yah roo shalom. I think that's Jerusalem. Yah hoovah. That's the name of God for the Jews."

"He's praying?" Luke asked quietly.

"He's converting this summer," Natalia pointed out.

"That'll go over real well with Sylar," Luke rolled his eyes.

Noah stirred & slowly sat up, away from Luke. He wiped away a few more tears. "My Dad's a Rabbi. He approves my conversion. He runs a Kabbalist group. The only people he kills are ISIS. It's war. Not murder. Just a war that's thousands of years old."

Luke closed his eyes & shook his head. The boy was not accepting it right now. He looked up at Natalia. "I think it's time to get to your father."

Natalia glared at him. "This is the son of Sylar! Are you crazy?"

"I've got Gray blood thanks to Samson sleeping around," Luke shrugged. "So probably. Natalia, Noah is not Sylar." He helped Noah up. "Anyway, your father has a lot of explaining to do. He told us Sylar was cast ahead in time but apparently, Sylar is in Israel right now. Besides, I know he will be extremely interested to meet this one. We'll be okay."


	20. Chapter 20

**(20) The Price For Truth**

Noah was silent while in the back seat of the car with Luke. Natalia was driving them somewhere to where her father was hiding. Noah knew better than to trust random strangers & take car rides in the middle of the night with them but right now, he was still processing the idea that he was the son of a notorious mass murderer. For the first time in a long time, Noah felt a headache. His regen wasn't picking it up right now. This was stress-related, not an illness & there were some things regen couldn't heal. Noah wiped away another tear. He felt something touch his hand & looked up into the eyes of someone claiming to be his uncle. Despite everything, Noah was accepting of Luke's calm & caring manner, a trait all Grays had but was it real or was it a ruse as Sylar often did?

"You hanging in there?"

Noah looked away. "I can't accept your story of my father."

"I know it's a lot to take in," Luke said. "It's not really his fault though. The power he got born with made him do it."

"All those people..." Noah sighed. "So many murdered. I could accept it if it was just that." He shook his head & looked at Luke again. "But that cruel savagery? Never! I can't even fathom it. They way they all died. No human could come up with that!"

"Humans invented crucifixion & burned each other at the stake for being different," Luke said. "Don't get me started on the Holocaust as that is something I'm sure you know of well if you're really from Israel. We are a terrible race on this planet if you think about it. Your father is quite human. His power is something else. Highly volatile. Sylar's power is extremely dangerous & we all paid the price for it. That includes Gabriel."

"Dad has many powers."

"He stole them," Luke said. "His power is the one that made him do that. The one he got born with. Noah, he didn't ask for it. None of us did."

"If you don't mind my asking," Natalia spoke from the front while they were waiting at a red light. "What power do you have Noah?"

"I can heal like my Dad, like Claire," Noah answered. "But a lot faster. You can't hurt me. Dad calls it a super-regen because of how fast it works."

"A super-regen? Now that is interesting," Luke said. "I wonder how you got it?"

"Got run over by a truck at Jason's bar mitzvah," Noah grinned sheepishly for a moment.

"What?" Luke half-laughed.

"Yeah it flattened me," Noah explained. "So when I came to the next day, I had my power ever since."

"No wonder it works fast!" Natalia said.

"So did Sylar give you a bar mitzvah?" Luke asked.

Noah took a moment to answer. Sylar beyond being a broken watch was still a strange concept to him. "No. Dad isn't religious."

"But you said he is a Rabbi," Luke reminded him.

"Don't have to be religious for that," Noah said. "He inherited the group from a previous Rabbi & he acts like a teacher of sorts to those under him. They started calling him Rabbi out of respect for his help & also the position was appointed to him by another Rabbi. It's a little odd how it works but that's how it happened for him."

"How can he teach Torah if he isn't religious?" Natalia asked.

"Um it isn't the Torah," Noah replied slowly. "The Kabbalah is basically magic for Jews. Or what America calls...abilities."

The car came to a screeching halt. Ignoring angry honks from others, Natalia turned in her seat to look at Noah. "I've always known that the Kabbalah was a certain sect of Jews, but is that really it?"

"That's it," Noah shrugged. "Everyone knows it has to deal with mysticism, or magic, but few know what it really is."

"The Kabbalah is thousands of years old!" Luke gasped.

"People having powers have shown up all over history," Noah pointed out. "From Yeshua to Vlad Dracu & several in between."

"Who's Yeshua?"

"Sorry," Noah rolled his eyes, silently berating himself. "The christians call him Jesus."

The car skidded to a halt for the second time. "Jesus existed?" Luke & Natalia both exclaimed.

"Sure, why wouldn't He?" Noah waved it off. "His existence was never up for debate. Him being Messiah or God or whatever, that is debatable, but most Jews won't deny He was a radical Rabbi from two thousand years ago." He looked at Luke & Natalia, slightly amused. "Puts a whole new spin on your Bible if you think about people with abilities & maybe there's a record of some in there."

"I will certainly tell Dad what you just said," Natalia began. "He's Catholic. I think he will like you in spite of everything."

"I hope so," Noah said.

"Dad won't harm you, don't worry," Natalia tried to reassure him. "ALRIGHT YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'M MOVING! Oh my gosh, I hate people some days!" She sped forward to catch up for lost time while holding up her middle finger to the window.

Noah leaned close to Luke. "Is she okay?"

"Hmm," Luke pretended to stroke a beard. "That remains to be seen."

Luke & Noah had to cover their mouths to smother any laughter. They listened to Natalia ranting for another fifteen minutes before she drove into a dark parking lot behind a closed building. Still swearing, she got out, slamming the door behind her. Luke got out next & held the door open for Noah who took his time before cautiously coming out.

Noah looked around at the dark place. "Be advised, I am Israeli military. I can defend myself."

Luke smiled. "You won't have to."

"We didn't bring you out to kill you," Natalia said. "I could have tried that in my apartment."

"I highly doubt it," Noah said. "IDF have a rigorous training program."

"Well okay, if it weren't for your military background, maybe I could have," Natalia corrected herself. "But I don't want that & neither does Luke. This is just the current place my Dad is hiding. He will move as soon as we are done." She led the way to a back door.

Hurrying ahead up the stairs, Natalia turned onto the fourth floor & went down the hall. She opened the door to a large flat & went to the man sitting by the window. He stood up to greet her. "Natalia, what are you doing here?" He held her close for a moment.

"I brought a new friend," Natalia pulled away & nodded towards Luke & Noah.

"Oh, hi Luke," the man extended a hand & Luke grabbed it for a moment. "Long time no see." He then checked on Noah. He saw the badge on Noah's shirt close to a small flag of Israel. "Um, Luke? Why did you bring the IDF here?"

"He just randomly showed up from Israel," Luke said. "You're not going to believe who he is either!"

"Okay, I'll bite," the man moved closer to Noah, into the brighter light. Noah could see the large facial scar going right across. "I'm Peter Petrelli. Who might you be?"

"Petrelli?" Noah gasped. "You're a Petrelli? Did you know who Nathan was?"

Peter's face hardened. "He was my brother. He was murdered by Sylar many years ago. What do you know of him?"

"My Dad said he's my grandfather!" Noah was panting in shock. "I'm Noah Petrelli Bennet Gray!"

Luke & Natalia both gasped but Peter slumped back into his chair in tears. "Are you really?" Peter finally managed to ask. "I saw you die in an explosion. I've been trying to save you all these years. Is it really you, the son of Sylar?"

Noah moved forward. "Luke & Natalia told me about Sylar a couple hours ago. I never knew. I'm sorry but I can't accept that as my Dad. That is not the man I know. My father is Gabriel Gray. He's a good man. He wouldn't hurt anyone, unless they are in the ISIS. If you knew him, you'd know he is a very soft, good-hearted soul."

"I only met that man once in my life," Peter said. "It was really weird for me as I'm used to him as Sylar. But timelines were shifting. I was going all over the place. I walked into that man's house expecting a fight to the death. But then, something wondrous happened. You came down the stairs. Couldn't have been more than four or five. You said Daddy's making waffles. You went to the kitchen. I followed & there he was. But the glasses were on. It was good ol' Gabriel Gray. Not Sylar."

"The glasses," Noah gasped. "Dad wears glasses except when I'm in trouble. Then he takes them off."

"That's what he told you," Peter said. "The glasses is just Gabriel. If they're off, run."

"I don't remember ever seeing you?"

"No," Peter took Noah's hand in his own & almost seemed to be near tears again. "No you wouldn't. I was only there a few minutes but in that time, I never saw another more perfect father than in Gabriel Gray, watching over you."

Noah smiled softly. "A lot of people say that about him."

"It was all my fault," Peter turned away.

Noah heard a sniffle. "What happened?"

"Something went wrong," Peter tried to keep his voice steady. "I led them right to him. To you. I didn't know they'd be so brazen as to bring weapons into the place of a young child. I didn't know that child even existed until I laid eyes on you. You got killed by accident. It ripped the soul of Gabriel asunder, leaving only Sylar behind but he too, could not handle it. He had nuclear power & the shock set him off. That explosion has been the bane of my existence ever since. I've been trying to get you back for you are the stopper of blood that man needed! He gave it all up for you. He took extra care to control his dread power Sylar for you. The only thing that kept him sane was you." Peter let Noah go as he stood up sharply, startling Noah. "But she is the one who took it all away."

"Who's she?" Noah asked in quiet awe.

Peter curled his fists by his hips. "My niece. Claire." He turned to the window & leaned on the sill. "I've been battling her ever since. I'm trying to fix the timeline to get you & Gabriel back & get rid of Sylar." He turned back to Noah. "Obviously I did something right. You're here! You're alright now." Peter grabbed Noah in a fierce hug & broke down on his shoulder. "You're alive! You've grown up. In the military now, the IDF no less!" He held Noah at arm's length. "Tell me. How is your father now? Is he sane? Is he living free of the madness within?"

"Dad's a Rabbi in the Kabbalah," Noah said.

"What?" Peter laughed. "Is he really? I never would have guessed! Israel. Wow the timelines sure shifted beyond what I expected. But I'm glad you're here. Sylar is finished if you're here. Sylar & Noah Gray can not exist at the same time."

Noah looked at Luke & Natalia, standing together by the wall as they watched the strange exchange. "This," Noah pointed at Peter. "This is what my Dad is. Peter knows him! Properly." He turned back to Peter. "Tell me, please, do you know who my mother was? She died in an explosion when I was born. I never knew her & Dad misses her too much to talk about her. Do you know who she was?"

"I always thought it was Claire right up until the moment you just said your Mom is dead," Peter stared, slightly deflated. "It had to be Claire. All the signs were there."

"She doesn't have kids," Luke pointed out.

"Not in this timeline," Peter returned. "Don't forget I'm dealing with several timelines here. Besides, where else would you get the name Bennet? That's her last name! Petrelli is from my brother & I. Nathan was Claire's father. Everything fits. I don't understand."

"Neither do I," said Noah.

Peter began pacing, thinking. He stood at the window again. "When you died, the explosion took out Costa Verde. But that city is still here now, untouched. You're here. Your mother is the one that died in an explosion. But your names indicate Claire & my brother. You're from Israel now, instead of California. I'm guessing this time, the explosion was by terrorists?"

"That's not quite true," Noah said slowly. "I'm actually born in New York but Dad left with me to hide in Israel from a killer. He never told me he was the killer. He falsified my birth records which is why I'm in the military at the moment. All Israelis have to serve some time."

Peter stared at him. "Did you just say you're from New York? Here?" Noah nodded. Peter took a moment to consider that, then looked at Noah in a rather strange way. In the same altered voice Sylar sometimes used, Peter said, "Luke, take Natalia outside for a moment."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"I can see into Noah," Peter said. "I understand his power. I can't kill him. But you two can die so go now!" After the two left, Peter advanced on Noah who found he couldn't move. He was pressed against the wall by an unseen force. Peter used his normal voice again. "Relax Noah. I have no intention of harming you. Even if I did, I can't. Not with that amazing regen you have."

"What are you doing?"

"I have your Dad's power," Peter said. "Sylar resides in both of us but I have always had a lot more control over it than Gabriel. I got it when I met him as your father on that day. It'll help me work something out. That's what the Intuitive Aptitude is supposed to do if used properly but it comes with an almost insatiable lust for knowledge. That's the killer we know in America as Sylar. I can control it & with you here, so can your father. Now just let me think for a bit."

After several minutes, Noah felt the pressure leave his body. Peter leaned over, hands on knees, for a moment. "You okay?" Noah asked.

Peter stood straight. "It's been a while since I used that one. I'm still missing something but the important thing is, you're alive."

"You said a while ago that this power you & Dad have has a lust for knowledge," Noah began. "But when everyone else talks about it, they say it has a lust for blood."

"Depending on how one obtains that knowledge, people can die," Peter explained. "I can look into you with it. So can your Dad. It's a soul-searcher. I can tell if you have an ability, what it is, if you have cancer cells, where they are. All by looking at you. But if I rip you apart, study the node where abilities form that's at the base of your brain, I can learn so much more in a very short time instead of spending years trying learn things the long way around."

"That's why D—that's why, he..." Noah refused to say the word Dad. He put a hand to his forehead for a moment.

"Yes Noah," Peter put his hands on Noah's shoulders. "That is indeed why. Your father is Sylar but is also Gabriel. The two are one. Whichever mentality takes over his brain determines whether one lives or dies."

"You said you can control this power better than my father," Noah said. "Why?"

"Because Sylar himself taught me how to use it & I could take an outside look at it," Peter answered. "On the other hand, when these abilities started cropping up, Sylar had no one to turn to, no one to study his very own power from. He had to learn by cold hard logic. I'm more empathic & had a better understanding of it." He hesitated before adding, "It doesn't make me perfect though. When I first got his power, I was a mess & in a different timeline, I'm the one who murders Nathan."

"You killed your own brother?" Noah exclaimed in a shocked whisper.

"Mhm," Peter wiped away a tear before saying. "In this timeline, your Dad did it. Cut Nathan's throat & laughed about it. I crucified the bastard for what he did."

Noah suddenly remembered something. "Several years ago, Dad was picking on me about finding a partner. We got into a really weird conversation I don't care to repeat, but he did mention that someone crucified him with four nails & he wasn't too pleased about the placement of the third nail. Is this true?"

Peter grinned nervously for a long moment. "Yup. That's pretty much how it happened."

"Why?" Noah demanded. "Isn't that sexual assault?"

Peter held up his hands. "I didn't think about it like that. I was thinking, I wanted to cause him about as much pain as he had caused me by taking my brother away from me. Also it was the only place I could reach from my position over him, so..."

"Well that...that...he's going to kill you for that, you know."

"He can try," Peter said. "I can heal now, just like him. We both got it from Claire." Noah shook himself, trying to process that, as Peter sat down on the couch & patted the place beside him. Noah sat down as Peter continued. "Ohh your Dad & I sure had some grand ones when it came to fighting each other. We used all our powers on each other any chance we got. He killed me the first day we met. Threw shattered glass in the air & one struck my spot & down I went. Claire pulled the piece out hours later. I still have it."

"Is that when," Noah hesitated. "Um. A few years ago, my boyfriend found a video of you. That scar. Is that how it happened? Did Dad do it?"

"No it wasn't him," Peter said. "This dumb thing, oh I was stupid. For some reason, I had a hard time learning Hiro Nakamura's power. He can move quickly through time & space."

"So can Dad!" Noah exclaimed.

"Hmm, wonder where he got it from then," Peter said. "Hiro is fine. Anyway, I needed to get to Hiro for something, so I transported over into what should have been his living room. I ended up by one of his swords, knocked the damn thing over & well," he indicated his face. "This is the result. I had lost my regenerative power at the time so it had been fully healed when I got it back & the regen won't pick up a scar."

Noah tried not to laugh. "So it was an accident?"

"Yeah it was."

"What about that glass Dad threw at you? Did it leave a scar?"

"No, that happened while I had Claire's power. It was fine when she pulled it out," Peter said. "Next time I met Sy..." Peter glanced at Noah. "Your...father, he was so confused as to why I was still around. We had another big fight. He got run through with a samurai sword."

"Dad got run through with a samurai sword?"

"Yeah," Peter said, adding with a laugh. "The same damn sword that will do this to my face a few years later too."

"Seriously?"

"Yup," Peter nodded. "Hiro keeps all his swords on display & that's why I knocked it over. But that was years later. He ran your Dad through with that sword from behind. Caused a lot of pain for him but Hiro missed every vital organ. Your father survived & that's when he really started going after Claire for her regen. We tried to keep them apart but he got her. She still hates him to this day for what he did to her. I don't blame her."

"But she can't die," Noah said. "Why would she even care?"

"I'm not sure I'm the one who should answer that one," Peter evaded.

"Please Peter," Noah begged. "Dad doesn't talk about his past. I'm starting to see why. I couldn't accept this Sylar from Luke & Natalia. What they showed me was raw & brutal. I can't imagine my father doing that. But you see Dad the way I do & still understand Sylar. You're the only one who can answer me."

Peter sighed heavily. "If it had stopped at him grabbing her power, maybe she would have forgotten him eventually. But it didn't stop. He was constantly after her, teasing her. Playing with her like a cat with a mouse. He had a sick twisted perverted little crush on her. He even stalked her all the way to her college & harassed her there. It went on for a couple of years. The day he killed her father was the day he dared propose marriage to her."

"He asked her to marry him?"

"Naturally she refused," Peter said. "In retaliation, he killed Nathan. Her own father by blood. My brother. That's why Nathan died in this timeline & why your father went for the throat instead of the forehead. All in the name of unrequited love like so many Shakespearean plays."

"Okay, I'm going to go back to not believing Dad is Sylar!"

"It was him alright," Peter insisted. "How we all hated him, especially Claire & I to this day as it got rather personal between the three of us."

"In more ways than one," Noah remarked without thinking.

Peter just laughed. "Alright maybe I went a little far with that third nail."

Noah held up one hand, putting his fingers together with a slight space. "Just a little."

"I'm glad now that he had the healing power," Peter gave Noah a pointed look. "Eunuchs can't have children."

Noah dropped his face into his hands laughing. "Yeah, I guess it is a good thing he took that power. Still must have hurt though."

"Oh yeah! I won't say he didn't deserve it either," Peter went on. "I've hated that man for what he did to my family all my life until today."

"Why is today any different?"

Peter looked at him. "You. If you're here, then I can forgive him for what he did because I know he is sincere now. Otherwise, he would just say what you want to hear but then turn around & stab you in the back. Literally. Besides which, since you're here, Gabriel is now family. Brother-in-law I guess. Maybe more like nephew-in-law. Something like that. Petrellis value family."

"Do you think Claire is my mother?"

"There's only one way to find out," said Peter. "I used to be a medic before all this started. But I still know how to do things. I can get a DNA check done on you & we'll know exactly who she is."

"That's what I was thinking," Noah agreed. "How do you do that exactly?"

"Hang on," Peter got up & disappeared into the washroom for a bit. He came back & held out a Q-tip for Noah. "Lick on that for a bit. I can figure it out from there." Noah did so before gingerly dropping the wet thing into the bag. "Why don't you get Luke & Natalia back in here while I check this? I have my own little lab, usually for medical reasons. It was my profession after all."

"Alright," Noah went out into the hall to retrieve the other two & then sat on the couch. One way or the other, he was about to find out who his mother was. "So what's your powers?"

"I can produce microwaves," Luke demonstrated, melting a nearby metal stand.

"Mine temporarily relieves disabilities," Natalia said. "The blind can see while around me, the deaf can hear."

"That is a strange one," Noah remarked. "I guess since your Dad was into medicine, maybe it had an effect on how your power came about."

"No, it was my mother," Natalia said. "Emma Coolidge was a deaf nurse. My power affects such aliments when I'm around people like her. She was able to hear for a while before she got killed. Claire's fault. That woman was aiming for my father."

"Why is Claire so against her own family?" Noah asked.

"She's misled," Natalia said. "She's in the wrong but won't admit it. My Dad is very upset about it. They used to be so close. He says she changed a lot since they first met. He even said once that Nathan is better off dead than to see what has become of his daughter."

Noah suddenly realized something. "Did Peter name you after his brother?" He asked Natalia. She nodded slowly. "Where does Montel come from?" Noah added.

"Nathan had three children," Natalia answered. "Two sons, Simon & Monty, & a daughter, Claire. She's the oldest. Monty died in a car accident almost twenty years ago. There was a big pile up on the road in the middle of New York City. Monty was at the bottom of it. He was being driven home & never made it."

"It happened right after I fought Sylar the last time," Peter said as he returned. "When I kicked him into the future. Oh I see. He probably picked up time travel from someone there & came back. Anyway, the next night was a huge mess. Four ambulances, mine included. I took Monty back myself in mine."

"Do you think Dad had anything to do with it?"

"Nah, he couldn't have," Peter said. "I don't think he was even in this timeline then & anyway, he doesn't kill children willingly. His serial killer code. It was just a stupid accident." He sat down on the couch between Natalia & Noah, not knowing that Sylar had been back by then, after almost three years in the future. It was the night Sylar had left for Israel with Noah as a baby. He had heard those sirens not realizing what had happened. Peter handed Noah a printout. "So uh, it is definitely Claire."

"That's not possible," Luke said.

"She doesn't have children," Natalia pointed out.

"I ran the test five times," said Peter, giving another printout to Luke & a third one to Natalia. Both reread their papers more than once. "It's her alright. Damned if I know how, but Claire is your mother." He waited for a response but Noah just sat back in his seat. "You're not even surprised?"

"I knew it was her," Noah said. "The moment I saw that picture in Dad's box back home. I just knew it."

"I don't know how your Dad did it," Peter said.

"Isn't it obvious Peter?" Noah began, letting a few tears fall. "He raped her. She probably gave me up & didn't say anything to you."

"That, uh," Luke stammered. "Sylar is a very bad man," he paused as Peter glared at him. "But that, Noah it isn't his style."

"Peter just told me himself," Noah said. "My Dad was constantly after her. All the way through college he stalked her. There's no other explanation."

"While I agree with Luke," Peter said. "I also agree with you. Sylar was always a killer to me. I never thought he was a rapist but let's face it, he was pretty hot for Claire since he first laid eyes on her." He stood up & paced again. "He barely waited for her to be legal before he tried bigger moves on her."

"He raped her," Noah repeated. "I can't believe it! No wonder Dad never wanted to talk about her. I thought he loved her. He seemed to truly feel—but what else is there? It's obvious how I got born."

"I don't want to believe this either Noah," Peter said. "Sylar is a killer first of all. There's something else I don't get. The explosion that killed your mother."

"He lied," Noah said. "He made that up. He lied to Israel about my birthplace. He lied about everything. My entire life has been a lie."

"No!" Peter grabbed Noah & held him close. "No, it isn't! Your life is just fine. If you're here, that means he has changed. He is ashamed of what he did now. Everything. Including that! It all points back to you Noah."

"How do you think I feel about all this?" Noah sobbed. "I'm the product of a vile act. All this time I thought he loved her."

"Maybe he does now," Peter tried. "He probably regrets it all."

"I want to see her," Noah said. "I have to tell her how sorry I am for this whole mess."

"Noah you are the only innocent in this whole mess," Luke said. "Right now, I'd rather you go back to Sylar. Claire has become far more dangerous than him by now."

"I don't care," Noah said. "She is my mother after all. I knew it all along. Anyway, I can't die. Just tell me where she is & I'll go by myself. I won't mention meeting any of you."

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Natalia warned.

"I swear I won't mention any of you," Noah insisted. "I'm not going to get involved with your internal war. I'm going back to Israel in a couple of days. I'll stay with Jason for a bit until I can figure out what the hell am I supposed to do with my father! But I will do that on my own time. Right now, I think if Claire sees me, maybe she'll settle down. I'm her son. Maybe she wants to know what happened to me, despite who my father is."

"Maybe," Natalia sighed. "But be careful of her. You can't die but there are other things that can happen to you."

"I still can't believe it's rape," Peter turned away. The power of Sylar was coursing through him once more, telling him something was off, something was missing. But what else was there? They had covered everything, hadn't they?

"My Dad did tell me," Noah suddenly spoke again. "In his own way. He told me he knew her since she was a child. He left it at that. I'm starting to realize now how much he actually told me without really saying much at all. He left out the important detail of him being a...a..." He spoke under breath. "A murderer." Noah gasped before going on. "He left a lot out, but a lot of things he said to me make sense now & boy do I ever understand now why he wanted me to avoid 'the black' at all times. Why he acted so strange when he brought me into 'the black' just recently. He was avoiding this. He didn't want me to know about," He looked at Peter, Luke & Natalia in turn. "About Sylar & I'm sure he certainly never intended for me to find out about my mother. What he actually DID to her! OH GOD! Why?" Noah fell to his knees. "I have to see her," he whispered finally. "I need to get back to the hotel. I need Jason right now. But tomorrow night, I'm going to find Claire."

"I'll help you," Peter said.

"Dad no," Natalia pleaded. "She'll kill you. Unlike Sylar, you never moved your spot."

"I'll be careful," Peter promised. "I can shape shift. She'll never know it's me."

"I really don't like it," Luke said. "What's 'the black'?"

"Dad has a globe," Noah said. "Bright gold & dark blue. He covered America & Mexico in black ink. Said never to go to either country. I get why now. He killed people in both. Someone in Mexico was the brother of one of my substitute teachers! But she didn't recognize him. It's around the time Ren_é_ showed up. Dad must have gotten him to alter her memory."

"René?" Peter raised a brow. "I know him. Haven't seen him in a few years though."

"He works for Dad," Noah said. "Usually looking over Jason & I. Bit annoying really. Do you think he knows about Dad being Sylar?"

"Oh yes," Peter nodded. "Before you were born, we actually did manage to incarcerate Sylar for a while. René was working with Noah Bennet at the time, another of your grandfathers, & saw Sylar in the prison before he eventually escaped. We didn't keep a good enough eye on him."

"My Dad in prison," Noah could barely imagine it.

"We are ready for him again if he ever comes back," Peter said. "But since you're alright, I don't think we have much to worry about any more."

"Dad, why didn't you tell us Sylar had a son?" Natalia asked.

"Because I didn't know if he still existed or not," Peter answered. "He is the reason I've been meddling with time so much. I've been trying to find him & now here he is."

"I've been around for almost eighteen years," Noah said. "Grew up in Israel."

"I never thought to look outside of America," Peter said. "I always focused here, mostly on California since that's where I saw you." He took Noah by the hand. "Just tell me where you want to be."

"Hey Noah," Luke passed a small paper over. "That's my number. If you ever want to talk about, ya know, my brother's not-so-secret life here. Or anything at all."

"Thanks...Uncle Luke."

"Just be careful around Claire," Luke warned. He went back to Natalia's side as Peter left with Noah.

They appeared in the hotel room a moment later to find Jason sitting against the headboard of the bed, staring into space as if shocked. Jason looked at them & got up to grab Noah before noticing Peter standing next to him.

"You look familiar," Jason said. "I've seen some videos of you."

"This is Peter," Noah said. "Peter Petrelli."

"Petrelli?" Jason gasped. "You're related to him?"

"He's my Great-Uncle," Noah said.

"You must be Jason," Peter quickly shook hands with him for two reasons. "Now that I've touched you, I can shape shift into your form if that's all right? I can't be seen tomorrow night & it's best if I appear as someone Claire has never known." He looked around & noticed that mere shape-shifting might not work as well. Jason was a Jew. Peter had never worn anything Jewish before. It was a perfect disguise though.

"Who's Claire?" Jason asked.

"My mother," Noah said. "That woman in the picture we found. It is her."

Jason looked Noah over. He seemed shaken from something. "Are you alright?"

"No," said Noah before turning to Peter. "You'll come here as soon as it's dark then?"

"I'll be here. I need Jason's help with something before we go," Peter promised before disappearing.

Jason grabbed Noah & held him tightly as he sobbed into his shoulder at last. "I found something you will not like. I don't know how to start."

Noah slowly pushed Jason away. "I think I already know. You found Sylar?"

Jason stared in surprise for a moment before looked at the floor. He nodded quickly. "...Noah..."

"Natalia & Luke told me," Noah said hoarsely. "Luke is another uncle of mine. Dad has a half-brother."

Jason dropped back onto the edge of the bed & rubbed his temples. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know Jason!" Noah burst into tears again. He tossed himself onto the bed & buried his face into the pillows. "I hate that I came here! I should have never tried getting on that plane! I hate knowing what he is!"

Jason moved up to lay back on the bed & pulled Noah onto him. He gently stroked Noah's back. "At least you found your mother. Are you still going to bring her to Israel?"

Noah lifted his ace from Jason's chest to look him in the eyes. "Jason," Noah closed his eyes. "My Dad raped her, I think."

"What?"

Noah told him everything he had heard from Peter. By the time he was finished, both were sitting up against the pillows, holding onto each other. "Rabbi Gray is not the man I thought he was!" Jason finally managed to speak.

"He's not the father I thought he was," Noah said.

Jason shook his head. "It's like we're talking about two different people. Everyone saw Rabbi Gray as a good father to you. After all, he raised you! He doesn't seem to be anything like this."

"I know," Noah sniffled, before allowing more tears to come. "I know. He lied, my entire life he lied!"

Jason wrapped his arms around Noah once more, kissing him deeply. They lay back on the bed with Noah underneath. Jason stroke Noah's cheek while he kissed him, moving down to his neck before putting his hand on Noah's chest. He broke off their kiss to look down at him. "Don't come back to Israel. Stay here with your mother."

"I kind of wish I could," Noah said. "But from what I've heard of her, she sounds dangerous as well. Maybe what Dad did to her made her that way. That's why I want to meet her. Maybe I can stop her from continuing what she's doing. But what about you or the IDF? I can't just leave. But I don't know how to face him again."

Jason slipped off the bed & dug around in his bag for a bit before returning with a small box & a bottle of wine. He got a glass off the counter, poured some wine & dropped what was in the box into it. A small tinkle was heard. He then pulled a folded paper out of his pocket & wrote something on it before picking up the full glass in one hand while holding the paper in the other. "I was going to wait until summer, after you converted. I had been carrying the ring with me for a while. But after five minutes of reading about your father, I went out & got the wine."

Noah stared as Jason held out the paper & glass of wine, a simple gold band sitting at the bottom, to him. "Jason!"

"So not the way I planned to propose," Jason said. "I had it all figured out. But now, why don't you come with me right now? Then you won't have to worry about either of your parents?"

"Jason I..." Noah sat bolt right up, hands on face as he stared at it all. He quickly skimmed the paper. It was an official contract with almost everything neatly typed out. It had already been signed by one Rabbi, Jason's father. Jason had scribbled on one more thing. _To get you away from them! _He looked at the glass of wine before taking it with both hands & nearly downing it in one go. He drank enough to get the ring which was then placed on his right index finger. It slipped down close to his black ring on the middle finger.

"I'll make it a bit more official when we have time," Jason said, as he put the empty glass & document aside. "I had expected your Dad to sign it as well when next I got a chance, but I'm not going any where near him."

"I don't blame you," Noah replied in a shocked whisper. He got up & aimlessly moved around the room. Putting his back to the far wall, he slid down to the floor in a crumpled heap. "Why didn't I stay dead when that truck ran me down?"

"Noah!" Jason came to sit beside him.

"I miss him, Jason," Noah breathed a pained sigh. "You know how close my father & I are but now...I just want my Dad back. But I can't ever look him in the eyes again & call him father, knowing what he did!"

"Can René wipe our memories perhaps?"

"Yours maybe but not mine, I heal too fast." Noah closed his eyes, feeling weak. "It's ruined. It's all ruined & I can never get my life back. I thought I would make it better by reuniting my parents. She must hate him so much though. Maybe I shouldn't see her." He bowed his head between his knees. "I just want to go home."

"Well, I don't want you to go home," Jason said. "Not back to him."

Noah looked up at his fiancé. "I'm not afraid of him, Jason. I can't die. There is little more he can do to me than what he has already done." He turned away, weeping. "He broke my heart more than any lover ever could & that is a fate worse than death. But worse than that, it's my fault. I'm the one who snuck over here. Had all these grand plans." He bowed his head in sorrow. "It's all my fault."

"You didn't kill those people," Jason shook Noah. "Rabbi Gray is the guilty one. He messed his life up & then hid it from the world for all these years. You're not to blame."

"If I didn't come here, I would never have known but now I'm paying the price of learning the truth about him," Noah fell silent & put his head against Jason's chest. He stared at the floor as they sat together.

Suddenly, Jason spoke. "Your father killed people for powers right? Now he is with a Kabbalah group full of people with powers. What if he's still killing?"

"But it's the same group all the time," Noah said.

"Explain what happened to Ariel then?" Jason tried.

"Dad was soaked in blood that day," Noah thought it over. "He claimed it was a raid in Jerusalem."

"There was a raid in Jerusalem that day."

"But did she die in it?" Noah remarked. "Or did Dad get lucky & used the raid as a cover?"

"It's possible," Jason said quietly. "I can't stop thinking about the night he picked on us during that slasher movie."

"Oh God!" Noah gasped. "No wonder it came so easily to him. He does it all the time!"

"But there hasn't been a trail of those types of murders in Israel," Jason went on. "In fact it just stops completely right around when you were born."

Noah wiped his eyes before saying, "Peter did say something. He told me that Sylar & I can't really exist at the same time. Said I was the stopper of blood & my father gave it all up for me."

"Do you think that's true?"

"I hope so!" Noah exclaimed. "It might be. I grew up with him. This Sylar...I don't know that person. I just know Gabriel Gray."

"What about Peter?" Jason added. "Can we even trust him? He wants my help with something when he comes back. I'm not sure I like that."

"I think Peter might be okay," Noah shrugged. "When Dad first mentioned a New York serial killer, he said that he didn't mean to do it. When Peter talked about Dad's powers, he also said he didn't mean to do it but his birth power made him. He didn't learn it properly yet & was out of control. They both said the same thing without even knowing it. Luke said the same thing as well."

"So for that, you're willing to trust a complete stranger?"

"Well what choice do we have?"

"Let's think about it later today," Jason got up & pulled Noah to his feet. "We have about an hour & a half to sleep before we are expected to be with everyone else."

"I'm not going out today," Noah complained tiredly. "I just want to stay in bed the whole time until we fly back to Israel."

"I know but I don't think they'd allow us," Jason pushed Noah into bed & lay beside him. "I've already set the alarm. Just stay close to me."

"Hold on," Noah sat up & reached for his phone. He began texting someone. "Uncle Luke, is there a list of all the powers Dad has?" He put it aside & lay down beside Jason again. "I want to know what Dad can do."

"Please try to sleep," Jason shushed him with a short kiss before settling down. He draped one arm protectively over Noah's hip, holding him close.

"You sleeping yet?" Noah asked after several minutes.

"Give it time," Jason murmured.

Noah sighed heavily. "I understand now."

"What?"

"Why Dad hates God."


	21. Chapter 21

**(21) Somewhere In Time **

Noah & Jason showed up last in the downstairs lobby & hung around in the background. They went through the first day in a daze, absorbing nothing from the school trip. Both were not only too tired to care, but also too drained from the discoveries made in the night. Noah was constantly on edge as well, his main worry was that anyone from the school might find out about his father's dark history. The only thing that kept him remotely calm was feeling that extra ring he now wore, an engagement ring. Noah wished they could just lie around in bed all day & sleep it all off.

There was one highlight of the day: seeing Ground Zero at last, but even that had been darkened by the truth of his situation: Noah was the son of a murderer.

Both were glad when it was time to return to the hotel in the late afternoon. They barely took anything during the meal offered & were able to escape early. Neither remembered getting into bed. They had literally fallen asleep.

Something or someone started shaking Noah awake. He opened his eyes & noticed that it was dark outside. Blearily glancing around, he saw Peter looking at him.

"Should I come back later?" Peter asked, slightly amused.

Noah shoved Jason to wake him up. "We're good. Long boring day. School trips. Gotta love them." He slowly forced himself to sit up. He noticed Peter was still gazing at him, almost wistfully. "What?"

"I just can't believe you're here," Peter replied softly. "It's still not completely right. It seemed that in the timeline I first saw you, Gabriel & I were friends & I was part of your life. I've missed so much of it. Oh well. Doesn't matter. The important thing is that you're safe."

"Is he though?" Jason interjected. "We don't know you."

"I know & I have nothing to prove my intentions either," Peter replied. "Ultimately it's up to Noah. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I want to meet her," Noah answered. "But if she is trying to kill you, maybe you shouldn't come?"

"Hasn't she been trying to kill you for years?" Jason asked. "You'd think she'd give up on it."

"Yes & no," Peter said. "Don't forget I'm dealing with more than one timeline. When this first started, before I got this scar, my scarred self came from the future & showed me some things. That's when I first saw Noah. That's also the first time she killed me. Claire managed to kill my future self by striking my weak spot & holding me down. I saw that so I knew to avoid it when I lived through the time & caught up. Timelines are very fickle. Hard to work with but since I can shift through time & she can't, I can see her coming. It's exhausting trying to stay on top of it but it keeps me & Noah here alive. Technically, she's killed me forty seven times by now but she'll never know because somewhere, I'm watching. It will only end when she gives up. We are both immortal if you don't touch our spots. I'm hoping she'll get bored soon. I'm looking for that perfect timeline. Where Gabriel, Claire & I are all together & are a part of Noah's life. It's out there. I will find it. Claire wasn't always like this."

"That is what I want," Noah said. "That's why I snuck over here, to find my mother & bring her home."

"What do you mean 'snuck over'?" Peter was instantly suspicious. Jason & Noah both looked rather uncomfortable as they explained how Sylar didn't exactly want Noah in America, especially not New York. Peter had one hand on his face by the time they were done. "I'd like to ask you if you're an idiot," He finally groaned. "But you didn't know the volatile nature of your father before coming here. Don't worry about it. You can't die. I'll come check up on you later."

"You will?" Noah slightly lifted his face. "Will you be alright?"

"I've dealt with your father's nasty temper I dunno how many times," Peter said. "I'll be fine. If not, I'll just nail him. Again."

"EWWWW!" Jason & Noah both turned away in disgust.

"Worked the first time," Peter laughed.

Jason rubbed his eyes with both hands before asking, "What do you need me for?"

"Well I can shape-shift," Peter switched to Noah first & then Jason. "I'd like to pretend to be you for this night while I'm out with Noah. Claire doesn't know anything about Israel but neither do I. I need to know how to behave as a Jew for a few hours. It's a very clever disguise. She'll never know."

Jason was gaping at Peter who was still shifted into Jason's form. "That is an amazing trick!"

"I got it off Sylar the day he killed Nathan."

Noah's eyes went wide. "My Dad can do this?!"

"He can do many things Noah," Peter said.

"Yeah, I'm just starting to figure that out."

"By the way Noah," Peter went on. "Have you thought this through at all? You can't just go up to her calling her Mom. How do you plan to meet her? What to say to her?"

"Just get me close to her," Noah said. "I'll take care of the rest. I'm going to make it look like coincidence that I was in the same area. I won't mention you. But I will eventually have to tell her who my father is."

"I doubt that will do much except set her off," Peter said.

"I expect that," Noah stated. "Worse comes to worse, I can use some of my training on her. She doesn't expect an IDF soldier & all she can do is heal."

"She has a gun," Peter pointed out. "More than one."

Noah sent Peter a look. "I've been in training to be a sniper for a while now & my commander said I'm doing unusually well. Top of my unit!"

"Whoa!" Peter was shocked enough to switch back to himself without even thinking of it. "Okay Noah. You're starting to scare me a little."

"Good," Noah grinned.

"Out of curiosity, how does your father feel about you being in the military?" Peter asked.

"He has mixed feelings," Noah said. "He likes seeing the uniform on me but doesn't like the fact that I could have my power exposed if I'm ever sent to the front line. He calmed down a bit when I said I had an interest in becoming a sniper though."

"Because you're out of sight," Peter said. "Keeps your ability hidden."

"That's right," Noah said. "How good are you at martial arts?"

"Well I've done a lot of fighting over the years," Peter began. "I've developed my own skills."

""Ever heard of Krav Maga?" Jason asked.

"No," Peter glanced between the boys who had both started ominously cackling under breath. "Um, should I?"

Jason stood in front of Peter. "Punch me."

"What?"

"In the face," Jason tapped his nose. "Right here."

"I'm not going to punch you!"

"You're right," Jason smiled. "You won't."

"I'm not going to—"

"Just try it Uncle Peter," Noah dared. "Go on."

"You don't know what I'm capable of," Peter tried.

"You don't know what I'M capable of," Jason taunted. "or Noah for that matter. If you want to be me, you'll have to learn to behave like I would in a fight. Now, try it."

Peter rolled his eyes before very slowly, aiming a fist towards Jason's face. Jason glared at him as if insulted & it was the last thing Peter saw for the next few moments, Next thing Peter knew, his head was out the window & he was staring down into the busy street. Both his arms hurt like crazy & his back was dislocated.

Jason pulled him in. "I thought you could heal?"

"I can," Peter gasped weakly, walking in a circle. "I can. Just give me a moment."

Noah just laughed at him. "Krav Maga ws developed for the Israeli Defence Force. Jason & I have been taking classes for it the past two summers & I'm getting more training in the military. Jason is joining next year. We're prepared for anything."

"Yup," Peter finally felt a most satisfying crack along his spine. "I believe it."

"Ready for round two?" Jason teased. Peter just stared at him. Noah laughed harder & Jason couldn't help but join in.

"Alright, alright," Peter groaned. "You made your point."

"I'd love to see that again," Jason was still snickering.

"You can," Noah held up Jason's phone. "I filmed it all. Now we can watch it over & over & over."

"Noah!" Peter snapped. Noah barely managed a high five with Jason before doubling over once more.

"Ohh man that was awesome," Noah finally manged to gasp. "You just went right across the room there. I barely had time to open the window before you went through it."

"Did your father take up this Krav Maga thing?" Peter demanded.

"No," Noah said.

"Good," Peter muttered. "I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be if his powers got mixed into it!" He rubbed both his arms before asking Noah, "Ready to go see your mother then?"

That shut Noah up like nothing else. "I don't really know how to be ready for something like this. Especially since it isn't how I planned this. But I do need to see her." He went to his suitcase & took out a dark blue jacket to cover his IDF shirt he was wearing.

Jason helped Peter put on his spare yarmulke so it wouldn't fall off. He picked up a book but hesitated before slowly handing it over. "I keep this with me at all times. It's the most sacred thing I own so don't lose it."

Peter took it for a moment. "Torah right?" He handed it back. "You can keep it. I just need to look the part. Claire doesn't know that much about such history. Besides," he scrolled through his phone. "I can just have an online copy if I need to."

Jason gratefully took his holy book back, relieved to not have to part with it. "There is one more thing then." He glanced at Noah.

"Oh," Peter realized something. "I get you guys are together right? Do I have to, um, you know, I mean...act a certain way?"

"You mean flamboyantly like some gay people do?" Noah raised a brow.

"Well," Peter stammered.

"We're not gay," Jason & Noah said at the same time. "Not like that."

"You're not?" Peter was becoming more confused by the moment. "But I thought you're boyfriends."

"We are," Noah said.

"But we prefer Asexuality," Jason said.

"Ohh," Peter finally, amazingly, clued in. "I know all about that. Met a few when I was a nurse. That was literally another lifetime ago."

"You know about it?" Noah asked.

"You meet a lot of different people in the medical world," Peter said. "I do find it strange that you turned out like that though, Noah, considering who your parents are. Pretty sure both Claire & Sylar were rabbits in some previous lives."

"Ugh," Noah groaned. "Can you bloody not?"

"All the more reason for him to get away from that crazy stuff," Jason said to Peter before turning to Noah. "Maybe it's a good thing your mother wasn't around. Unlike me who walked in on my parents more times tha—"

"Shut up Jason," Noah ordered. "Or I'll end up a murderer like my father."

"Noted!" Jason dropped onto the edge of the bed & held up his hands.

Peter turned away to answer his phone. "Yes, we're ready when you are." He said a moment before hanging up. He moved towards Noah. "A friend of mine has found her. She's heading up to the Bronx & will be at the Pine Restaurant with a friend soon. It's a part of New York City."

"A restaurant? That's brilliant!" Noah exclaimed. "We can use that. Uncle Peter? We're going on a date!"

"What?" Peter yelped.

"Oh it's easy," Noah insisted. "Just act like a very close friend. Don't get too physical. Aces are rarely in the mood for that."

"If you say so," Peter was still awkward when he took up Noah's offered hand.

"Shouldn't you look like Jason now?"

"In a minute," Peter said. "We have to go somewhere else first." They ended up in a large flat where a black man was sitting back on the couch as if expecting them. "He'll let us know when Claire is settled in. He is getting a reservation for us or else we might not be able to get in. It should only take a moment."

The other man stood up, holding his phone in one hand. His eyes drifted from Peter to Noah. "Did he really have a son Peter?" He looked Noah over. "You look a lot like Sylar. Your Dad saved me once."

"Saved you?" Noah repeated in slight awe.

"Saved. Spared, perhaps," the man corrected himself. "I'm Micah. Or some know me as Rebel."

"Micah is one of us four that survived Sylar," Peter told Noah. "Claire & I because we're immortal. Micah & Luke because they were children."

"Every serial killer has a code," Micah said. "That was the strangest night of my life."

"I just found out what my Dad did," Noah said before hanging his head. "Sorry. I never knew."

"It isn't all his fault," Micah said. "When our powers first showed up, he had no guidance. Peter, my phone tells me your reservations are ready."

"How did it do that?" Noah asked. "You weren't talking to anyone."

"I was talking to it," Micah replied. "I can speak to machines telepathically. In a sense, my power is just as dangerous as Sylar's. I can shut down the entire world or even launch every single missile with a single thought."

"You're telepathic with machines?" Noah asked incredulously.

"I have to be very careful how I think when touching any machine," Micah nodded. A woman came to stand beside him, putting a hand on his arm. "My wife," Micah patted her hand. "Reminds me every day."

The woman laughed shortly. "Now Micah, it isn't every day." She raised a brow pointedly in Noah's direction. "That him?"

"Apparently so Molly," Micah said.

"A son of Sylar hmm?" Molly all but glared at Noah.

"Did my Dad spare you as well?"

"Not a chance," Molly shook her head. "I'm only still alive because I was able to hide from him. Then I had others keep me hidden from him. Had Sylar gotten his hands on me, he would have never let me go & a lot more people would have died."

"Why? I thought Dad's code was to not kill children?"

"So they say," Molly shrugged. "But there are exceptions to every rule. I would have been the exception. I can track any person on the planet just by thinking about them. Do you understand now, why your father wanted my ability?"

Noah thought for a moment before saying slowly, "To...get more...powers?"

"That's right," Molly snarled. "I would have been the crown in his list of abilities & he would have been unstoppable!"

Noah closed his eyes. "I really didn't know," he cried softly.

Peter leaned close to Molly. "Take him to the kitchen & get some water for him please? I need a moment with Micah." Molly glared at him but pulled Noah away. "Micah, can you find anything on Sylar in Israel? Any killings like he used to do?"

Micah took a few moments as he & Peter sat together on the couch to let the machines do the work. "He seems to be doing quite well in a Kabbalah group in Israel," he suddenly smiled. "Rabbi Gray. Who'd have thought that would ever happen?" After another minute, he added, "There is something recently. Some people believe Jerusalem is cursed because Sylar is there. I found a video though it has been removed from a lot of sites for Noah's sake."

"Let's see it," Peter said. Both watched the video of the beheading. "Wow! I wonder who that woman was?"

Micah did a search on her & showed it to Peter. "Ariel seemed to be his right hand in the group. She even rewrote his profile."

Peter looked it over before handing the phone back. "Micah can you get rid of that video? I agree with Sylar on one thing. Noah shouldn't see it."

Micah nodded & held the phone close for a while. "It's done."

Peter stood up as Noah returned with Molly. "It's time we did this." He shifted to Jason's likeness.

"Who's this?" Micah asked.

"Jason," Peter said. "A Jew from Israel in training to become a Rabbi."

"Okay that explains what you're wearing," Micah laughed. "I was about to ask."

"Yeah well," Peter grabbed Noah's hand. "I'd like to get this date over with before someone tries to make me teach Torah. I don't speak a word of Hebrew."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Noah said the moment Peter transported them both.

Peter brought them close to the restaurant & led the way inside. Both looked around for a moment before Noah poked Peter's arm. "There she is," Noah whispered, slightly pointing in the direction he was looking. Claire's back was towards them & she was talking with another woman who was sitting at the table with her. "There's a table close to her," Noah went on. "I should start calling you Jason now. Remember your name."

"Micah probably reserved it," Peter said. "I haven't been this close to her in a very long time," he added in a low voice as, sure enough, a waiter moved them towards the table that was slightly behind & off to the side from where Claire was.

"Do you think she's here looking for you?"

"No," Peter shook his head, suddenly making a grab for the skullcap that had come slightly loose. "It's been a while since she has been on my trail. Our last biggest confrontation was just before Christmas last year over in California. My trail's gone cold for her ever since. But it will only last so long."

They sat down at the table & were so far unnoticed by her. Noah leaned close. "Just follow my lead. I have this entire thing planned out like a script. I know exactly what to do."

Peter put one hand on Noah's neck to stop him from pulling away. "I know. You get that talent from your father."

Noah looked him over for a moment. "That's even better. I've just changed something."

"That's another thing you get from him," Peter muttered under breath. "He is a quick thinker when he needs to be."

But Noah was no longer whispering. He wanted to make sure Claire could hear him. "I'm starting to figure that out, Jason," Noah began. "After coming here & finding out about my father, there's a lot I get from him." He leaned back in his chair. "I don't like it. Not one bit."

"I know you don't," Peter slowly replied. "But it is what it is."

Noah held up the main menu between them & both pretended to share it. "Just keep talking about my Dad. Eventually one of us will slip up & say his name."

"That's the plan?" Peter gasped softly.

"Just do it," Noah put the menu down, leaving it open to the main page. The waiter came back so they quickly ordered almost too fast & Peter nearly screwed up but Noah added, "Please be sure to hold the ham though. It's unclean for us Jewish folks."

"No problem Sir," the waiter said. "I could replace it with another meat?"

"Chicken will do," Noah said. As soon as the waiter left, he shot a short dark glare at Peter who mouthed the word 'sorry' back. Noah snapped the menu back up & hissed under breath. "I thought the whole world knew Jews can't have pigs."

"I do!" Peter whispered back. "But I'm only a Jew on the outside remember?"

"Don't screw up again," Noah demanded crossly before putting the menu aside. He took a sip of his drink. "I really don't know what I'm going to do about Dad," he genuinely said. "I still can't believe he is my father."

"Well, you had the DNA tests done more than once," Peter pointed out.

"Yeah," Noah sat back in his seat. "But I still can't believe it." In a slightly louder voice, he finished, "I am the son of Sylar." In his peripheral vision, he noticed Claire had spilled her fork back into her plate & was staring at him in surprise. "What am I going to do with this information, Jason?" Noah finally said, using the appropriate name.

"Take it one day at a time," Peter said.

"I don't know," Noah shrugged, still not looking at Claire who was intently listening to him. "I hope my mother is better. I'd like to meet her," He kept going, ignoring a slightly panicked look in Peter's eyes. "But I don't know what she looks like. Just that she's in New York somewhere." He fell silent as the waiter put their orders on the table. He took the time to eat a little & after a moment, Peter did the same. But Noah hadn't been very hungry since he had found everything out. "Also her name according to the tests," he continued. Peter choked on a piece of chicken. "Claire Bennet."

"That would be impossible, young man."

Noah pretended to look around for the voice before looking at her. "That's what the DNA tests said."

"You need to do them again."

"Did them five times already."

"Sounds like you're being set up," Claire said. "A son of Sylar? Somehow just magically includes Claire Bennet as your mother? Come on."

"What would you know about my parents?" Noah scoffed, still pretending he didn't know her. "Sorry girl, but you don't look a day over twenty & I'm almost eighteen."

"I'm much older than you think," Claire stood up & came to stand by his table. "Now first of all, Sylar is a name I haven't heard of in years. Do you know what that monster did?"

Noah tried to keep his breath even. "He killed a lot of people."

"Including my father, among others," Claire said. "What would you know about him? You are too young to know him. So what's this really about?"

"I thought I knew him," Noah said. "I just found out yesterday."

"You just found out," Claire echoed. "What would you know? You never met him!"

"That's not true," Noah said. "Gabriel Gray has been raising me on his own my whole life."

"What did you say?"

"He is the one who raised me," Noah repeated. "I just never knew about Sylar apart from a broken watch he always has." Claire gasped, putting both hands over her mouth. "He never mentioned who my mother was. I'm here in New York on a school trip & using that to find her. But I only have one more day. I would really like to meet my mom before I go home."

"Where is your home?" Claire asked.

Noah shared a look with Peter who shook his head. "To be honest, I don't really know any more. I can't go back to my father right now. Not after finding out what he really is. But," Noah reached across the table & grabbed one of Peter's hands. "My partner just proposed to me recently & I'm converting to Judaism soon. I suppose I will be with Jason from now on."

The gesture seemed to soften Claire for a moment. "I prefer girls myself," she beckoned for the woman she was with to come over & took her hand. "Savona is my girlfriend."

"Oh," Noah smiled, remembering something his father had said about his mother being either lesbian or bisexual. "Nice. Would you like to join us?" He moved over in his seat a bit to make room for them to seat. If looks could kill, the glare Peter shot him would have been enough to get around his regen.

"Thanks but we're just about done," Savona said.

"No we're not," Claire disagreed. "We still haven't found out why this boy is claiming to be the son of Claire Bennet & Sylar of all people. Those two would never get together."

"Why not?" Noah asked.

"Because of what he did to her," Claire said. "He ripped open her head just to get her power. She can't die."

"Neither can I," Noah said, again making Claire stare at him. "My Dad heals quickly. It's hard to hurt him. If my mom has that power too, it would explain why I heal so fast. Dad says I don't have a spot. You can knock him out, but you can't do that to me. Having two immortal parents would certainly explain that!"

"I'm Claire Bennet!"

"What?" Noah gasped in shock. Peter was rather impressed with Noah's acting.

"You heard me!" Claire was once more back to her cold self. "Now, I never had children yet. So either you're lying, or whoever did the tests on you is lying. Who'd you get to do the tests?"

Noah slowly stood up. "Ma'am, I don't mean you any harm. As for my Dad, he doesn't know I'm here. Jason & I forged my consent form to the school so I can travel. But my father has forbidden me to come to New York for my whole life. All I want is to meet my mother, especially after yesterday, now that I know why my father wanted to keep me out of this place. Are you really Claire or can you help me find my mother?"

"Just answer the question," Claire glared.

"Shlomo Gordon," Noah said, finally lying. "He is a Rabbi. Jews are very thorough."

"He is clearly playing you," Claire said. "I don't have children."

"Look, I don't know what's going on," Noah said. "I just want my mother. I'm willing to do a DNA test with you. Maybe we can come up with different results."

"We will," Claire said.

"My father is Gabriel Gray," Noah said. "No question there. I've lived my whole life with him so far. It's mostly my mother I want to know. But I only have one day left before flying home. Can you do it in that time?"

"I can do it in ten minutes," Claire said.

"Alright," Noah glanced down to the table. He grabbed the napkin & handed it to her.

"Last I checked," Claire took the napkin. "Sylar was sent over five thousand years into the future. No one has seen or heard about him since almost twenty years ago. Also I don't think he is Jewish."

"I can't explain this futuristic thing," Noah shrugged. "But we're atheist. It's my boyfriend who's Jewish & I'm converting soon. Dad is supportive of it."

"I see," Claire's eyes drifted over to Peter to look him over, seeing Jason.

"My full name is Noah Petrelli Bennet Gray," Noah added. "You'll find it anyway when you do the test so that should help get it done faster. Jason & I will be here for a couple of hours. Celebrating our engagement."

Claire put the napkin into her purse. "I wouldn't let you get away. I have people watching out for me & one of them is in this restaurant. I hope for your sake, that you're either lying or being lied to about being the son of Sylar." At that, she turned & marched out the doors with Savona close behind her.

"We might have to bust out of here," Peter said.

"No," Noah disagreed. "I can handle her. She doesn't know she is dealing with an IDF soldier."

"It might not be enough," Peter looked around.

"Don't do anything until the last possible moment," Noah warned. "Let me take care of the situation first. What are you looking for?"

"Not what, who," Peter answered.

Noah leaned forward to speak in a lower voice. "Remember, Jason wouldn't know who to look for. We're from Haifa all the way in Israel after all."

"I know," Peter said. "She's going to be very pissed off when she gets her own tests done."

"I wouldn't blame her," Noah said. "But even she stated she doesn't have kids yet. Rape or not, a woman would know when she gives birth."

"Noah, I don't believe that rape theory of yours," Peter said. "We are missing something."

"I hope so. What's this thing about five thousand years?" Noah asked.

"I tossed Sylar into the future," Peter said. "At the time, he didn't have the ability to time travel so I thought he wouldn't come back any time soon. We would have five thousand years of peace while I could come up with something to make things more permanent. But you say you've been in Israel your whole life & you're almost twenty. When were you born?"

"May nineteen, two thousand nine."

Peter sat straight, thinking. "That's about three months before I threw Sylar into the future."

"Are you trying to tell me there were two copies of my Dad?" Noah laughed.

"Yes!" Peter said seriously. "I think I get it now. I bet your Dad is super old & he probably came back with a different Claire from ahead in the timeline."

"Is that even possible?"

"Yes," Peter nodded. "A futuristic Sylar comes back in time with his family & he is probably staying out of sight so as not to disrupt the timeline. Noah! I know why you're not supposed to be here. It has nothing to do with his past life as a murderer. He's probably worried you'll run into his past self or me or the Claire of this timeline. Noah if you're not careful, you could erase yourself!"

"WHAT?!"

"This is the wrong Claire, Noah!" Peter exclaimed. "She's too young! Your mother is probably thousands of years old as is your Dad. Oh my God! What have we done?"

"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Noah replied in amazement. "Dad said he's getting around fifty years old."

"The Sylar of this timeline would be yes, so he probably just went with it," Peter said. "He wouldn't be that stupid as to tell a child how fickle timelines are. He might tell you when you're an adult."

Noah's jaw dropped. "My eighteenth & final birthday!"

"What about it?"

"Rabbi Gatineau, my father-in-law soon," Noah explained. "It was the weirdest conversation I had with him."

"That's probably it," Peter nodded.

"But Claire can't die," Noah said. "Dad told me my mother is dead yet we know my mother is Claire. If what you say is true, how is it possible Dad didn't lie to me about my mom?"

"It is, actually," Peter said.

"How?" Noah demanded. "Claire can't die."

"Under normal usual circumstances, your parents & I won't die," Peter said. "But if you strike our spots & hold us down we could perish, especially by beheading me or Claire. Maybe not your Dad though since he moved his spot. So I don't know about that any more but if I were Sylar, I'd still duck, just in case."

"Ohh," Noah clued in at last. "Something must have happened to her. An explosion, Dad said. He told me I don't have a spot. I heal too fast."

"I know," Peter said. "If I use your father's power on you, I can see that you are, in a sense, spotless." Someone at the next table tossed their menu aside, got up & walked out, casting a short glance at Noah & Peter as he passed. "Uh oh," Peter murmured. "That was Noah Bennet, Claire's adoptive father."

"My grandfather!" Noah almost got up.

"NO NO!" Peter pushed him back down. "He can be as dangerous as Sylar, depending who he is working for. Mostly he'll go after anyone trying to hurt Claire. "He's neutral with me so far. I think he might want to help me but you though, the son of Sylar. You might be in danger."

"But I'm also the son of Claire."

"Not his Claire," Peter reminded him. "Wrong timeline." He sighed heavily. "We kept our voices down for the most part. I wonder if he heard us at all & if so, what?"

"Hopefully the part about the timelines," Noah said. "Maybe he can help sort that out. Here comes Savona." He waited for her to come to their table before asking, "Where's Claire?"

Savona took a long moment to answer. "She did the test several times," she finally said. "It keeps saying she is your mother."

"I knew it!" Noah smiled. "I just want to know her. It's really hard growing up without a mother."

"She wants nothing to do with your father," Savona pointed out.

"I-I get that," Noah replied softly, nearly in tears again. "It's his fault. I don't expect her to get with him."

"No, I mean she doesn't want anything to do with him!" Savona repeated. "She wants to know how your father did it. Did he steal some eggs of hers when he drew out her power from her brain? 'Cause that is the only way he could have done it. If you have half an idea of how mad she is right now!"

"I'm sorry," Noah replied. "I'm so sorry for everything. Please tell her that. I only have one day."

Savona sighed. "Look, I think you might mean well. This whole thing is Sylar's fault, not yours. But I suggest you stay away from her for a long time until she calms down."

Noah wiped away a few tears. "Savona, I can't come back any time soon. I'm here against my father's will. So far I don't think he knows. I hope not."

"Well there's nothing I can do about it," Savona stated simply.

Noah turned away, gripping the table as he fought back more tears. Peter took hold of Noah's hand closest to him. Noah glanced at him, then looked around to find Savona who was already walking away. "Wait!" He ran to her. "Take my boyfriend's number. Maybe some day, we can talk."

"I don't think that will work."

"We can try, can't we?" Noah pleaded. "Don't tell her right now. Just wait a bit."

"Fine, whatever," Savona took out her phone.

After Noah gave her Jason's number, he said. "By the way, I think I might know what happened. I've heard about this theory that Sylar was put into the future in August of two thousand nine."

"Yes that's true," Savona said.

"Well I was born May nineteen, two thousand nine," Noah said. "I think more than one timeline has happened." He explained. "Maybe try telling her that when she's calmed down. She may not be my mother in this timeline, but somewhere she would be. I'd still like to meet her some day."

"I'm not making any promises," Savona said. "You seem like a good kid. I know we can't pick our parents, but if Sylar is involved in any way, I don't want any part of it either. You might have to wait a long time."

"I'm immortal," Noah replied. "I've got all of eternity."

"You might need it," Savona turned & left at a last.

As she was leaving, four guards entered. "Noah we've gotta go NOW!" Peter yanked Noah back using the same force that Sylar had, clapped a hand on his shoulder & teleported out of there the moment two weapons went off. They landed in the hotel room where Jason was anxiously waiting for them. "I didn't think that would even work," Peter said as he finally shifted back to himself. "I thought maybe the Haitian might have been around to block my powers."

"I hope not," Noah said. "That would mean Dad knows I'm here. René is supposed to watch out for Jason & I."

"Let's hope he continues to do so," said Peter. "Now when are you going back to Israel?"

"Tomorrow is the last bit of the field trip & then we fly home first thing the next morning," said Noah.

"Alright, I'll keep Micah on the lookout for anyone trying to get near you," Peter began. "Don't leave your group again. Claire can do a lot in a day! I'll be keeping an eye on you as well but you won't see me as I'll be shape-shifting."

"What about Uncle Luke?"

"He should be fine so long as he stays away," Peter said. "He brought Natalia home & is still with her I think."

"Will I ever see him or you again?"

"Mostly that's up to your father," said Peter. "I do intend to check up on you in Israel some time. I'll be careful around him." He put a hand on Noah's shoulder. "We'll work something out some day."

"I just wanted my family together," Noah said. "Now I think I did worse."

"Sometimes our best intentions go wrong," Peter said. "I will see you soon." He gave the spare cap back to Jason. "Don't let him out again!"

"I'll try not to but he is the most stubborn bastard," Jason glared at Noah.

"I believe it," Peter laughed. "THAT one he gets from his father."

Once Peter beamed out, Jason turned to Noah. "Satisfied now?"

"I caught a glimpse of one of my grandfathers!" Noah began. "Peter isn't too sure of his intentions but I saw him, just for a moment. Noah Bennet!"

"That's nice," Jason wasn't side-tracked. "Now you stay put!"

Noah lay back on the bed. "I really don't know what's going to happen. But I think I know what happened to my mother."

Jason sat down on the edge. "Did you meet her?"

"Sort of," Noah began.

"More than one timeline?" Jason gasped. "That's the strangest one I've heard yet!"

"Yeah well," Noah pushed himself upwards onto the pillows. "I have to be careful not screw up time any more. Peter knows a lot about that. He'll help me keep it straight."

"I hope so," Jason stretched out beside Noah on the bed. "In spite of everything, I can't wait to get home after all this. I mean, I'm terrified of your father right now & I don't think I can be around him any time soon again, even if he is a different one from here. At some point, he was the same. But I think it's safer for you to be home instead of here. You can just move in with me instead."

"I definitely can't wait for that day," Noah turned to his side, pressing up against Jason. "Maybe it will all work out."

"Maybe," Jason stared at the ceiling for a bit. Both soon fell asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

**(22) The Reckoning**

Aviv trotted away, carrying his leash in his mouth. He ran up the ramp while Sylar used the three short steps to get in front of the cheeky corgi. He met the dog on the patio of the café. "You know, I'm the one who is supposed to hold on to that leash," Sylar told Aviv as he picked the dog up. Aviv grumbled. "Hush." Aviv heaved a sigh. "I know. You're missing Noah aren't you? He's not busy with Jason right now. He'll be home tomorrow."

"Gabriel? What are you doing here?"

Sylar glanced around. "Hi Nehemiah. Aviv & I decided to go out for breakfast."

Nehemiah came back up the steps. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Sylar instantly had a feeling something was wrong. "Why?"

"Well, you said you were going to talk to Noah soon," Nehemiah tried.

Sylar put the dog on the ground. "Soon," He stated. "It's going to be a really weird birthday for him." He glanced around. "Where are the boys?"

Nehemiah hesitated before answering. "They should be on the plane home soon."

Sylar stared at him. "Plane? Where'd they go?"

Nehemiah gasped & looked down to the road towards his car where his wife was waiting. "Gabriel, did you not sign the consent form for a school field trip?"

"No," Sylar replied slowly. "Noah didn't mention anything about any trip! Where did they go?"

Nehemiah took a step back. "That can't be right! I saw both consent forms. You signed the one for Noah!"

"I did no such thing, I didn't even know," Sylar said. A long moment went by. "Nehemiah? Where's my son?"

"How?" Nehemiah gasped to himself out loud. "I am so sorry. I thought...but I saw it. Gabriel! The trip's to New York!" Sylar remained silent in shock. "Gabriel, please call the school. Get them to check the consent forms! I swear you signed it. I checked both before they were dropped off."

"I would never sign such a consent before it's time!" Sylar replied in a low dangerous voice. He pulled off the glasses, ignoring Nehemiah's look of concern, then slapped the other end of the leash into the Rabbi's hands. "Take Aviv home." He marched down the stairs.

"Wait, what are you going to do?"

Sylar didn't look back. "No idea!" He snarled before disappearing on the spot.

"Oh no," Nehemiah all but ran for the car. By the time he got there, Tirzah had gotten out.

"What happened?"

"It's what's going to happen I'm more worried about!" Nehemiah said, tossing a disgruntled Aviv into the back seat before both got in. "Gabriel didn't sign the consent form."

"What?"

"He didn't know!" Nehemiah explained. "I think those boys forged it!"

"WHAT?" Tirzah exclaimed. "That could set him off!"

"I damn well know that Tirzah!" Nehemiah shouted at her. "I'm sorry," He muttered in a calmer voice.

"What should we do?"

"We don't have the magic for it," Nehemiah said. "Let's just warn his Kabbalah group & then, we get to that plane & get our son!"

"Do you think he'd kill Jason?" Tirzah was crying now. "NEHEMIAH?"

"I'm guessing on not," Nehemiah tried to calm her. "But should we take any chances with our son? From this moment on, until we know what's going on, we have to assume we are dealing with Sylar, not Gabriel."

Sylar appeared inside the school Noah & Jason went to. It was closed for the holidays. He went into the principle's office & sat at the desk, then called the principle using that phone. "Hello Madam Guzman," He began. "We need to have a little talk."

Within half an hour, Sylar had brought in not only the principle but several of the remaining teachers as well. He stood by while they rifled through files of consent forms, first finding the proper year, then the proper date & finally looking for Gray.

"Yes, it's here," Madam Guzman soon pulled it out & handed it over.

Sylar took it but barely looked at it. "I didn't sign this." The others cast uncomfortable looks at each other. "There is no chance in hell I would allow my son to go any where near that place before I talked to him. You're all Jews. You know what I am!"

"May I see your signature please?" The principle asked.

"This isn't mine."

"I mean yours," She said. "Write it down." Sylar glared but did so. The principle took both his signed paper & the consent form. She scanned each one over with her eyes before putting them on the computer & scanned them into the system. "They're practically identical," she finally said. "He's good. He's really good. But the computer can find a few differences." She sat back in her seat, shaking her head. "I wish you had found out a lot sooner. The trip is over. They are on their way home right now. Had we known earlier, we would have cancelled it & brought them home immediately." She slowly stood up. "It's too bad. He's such a good student. Well liked. Such a waste." She sighed. "I'm sorry Sir, but it can only be expulsion for him."

"I expected that," Sylar said. "Is there no other way?"

"None," Madam Guzman stated. "He lied. He went behind your back as well as ours. Especially being your son. Yes, we know. New York is not the best place for either of you. This is very serious. So no, he can not come back."

"If he doesn't complete his education," Sylar began. "he won't be able to go on to a university or have a career or pretty much any job in Israel. It's going to cripple him. He was going for a degree in paleontology."

"I know," one of the teachers said. "But he brought it on himself."

"Just a few months short," another teacher lamented. "He would have been finished this year."

"Technically, he is finished," Sylar said.

"I really am sorry to see him go," Madam Guzman said. "He's a good kid."

"So am I," Sylar turned to leave. "He's going to have to learn the consequences the hard way." His hand lingered on the doorknob. He turned back to the group. "What if you set him back?"

"Set him back?" one teacher asked.

"He skipped a year," Sylar said. "He was a bit advanced. Maybe make him redo this year. Have him pick up some stuff from Grade two as well. He can do that in summer school on top of being pushed back here." He waited a moment while they thought it over. "Either way, he won't be graduating this year. Make him finish this year off but don't give him the credit. Then he has to redo it all next year. I'll make him do Grade two during summer instead of having it off."

"That's a lot of work," a teacher began. "Plus his military training on top of it."

"It is," Madam Guzman agreed. "Not only for him but for us as well. We'd have to rearrange a lot in our systems." She looked at Sylar. "Only if you make him do Grade two during summer."

"Believe me, I will!" Sylar left at last. He teleported home just in time to meet up with Nehemiah who dropped Aviv off. Sylar let the dog loose in the house, then called Noah's commander next. After sorting that out, he started up the stairs to Noah's bedroom. He went to work on it & was soon oblivious to time.

"So this is where you've been hiding all this time?"

Sylar stood sharply & turned to stare down the barrel of a gun. With a flick of his fingers, the gun went flying. "Claire?" He stared at her for a long moment, all the feelings of the future rushing to the surface once more. But it was highly unlikely that this was HIS Claire. "What are you...wait. Never mind. Noah."

"Yes," Claire huffed sharply. "Noah." She held up a second gun. "Now, before I finally kill you, I want to know exactly what the hell you did to me that day you took my power?"

Sylar rolled his eyes. "Well, I cut open your head & touched that little node at the base of your brain to copy your power. It is in fact a fairly simple procedure. But Claire," He put a hand on the gun & held it away. "I do hate the pain I've put you through. I truly am sor—"

"Shut up!" Claire ordered. "Did you suck a few of my eggs out as well?"

Sylar choked down a laugh. "W-what?" He spluttered.

"Or perhaps when you all but raped me in college?"

"I never raped—oh my God! Claire! That was my empathy power on you & you bloody well know it! We just kissed. I didn't even strip you down."

"Well you must have done something!" Claire demanded. "How the hell does Noah exist? I've run several DNA tests. We're his parents! HOW?"

"I am not your Sylar, Claire. Now get out of my house & go home!"

"Not until I kill you!"

"News flash woman!" Sylar shot back. "I moved my spot a long time ago."

"I'll just start blowing holes in you until I find it," Claire threatened.

"Fine, it's down in my cock, speaking of sucking! Start with that, just like Peter & his nail gun!"

"You disgusting bastard!"

"You walked into it, sweetheart!" Sylar shouted as he went down stairs.

"I'm not finished with you!" Claire ran after him.

"Well I am more than finished with you!" Sylar held open the door. "Claire you have no idea what you walked in on, here. Now I suggest you leave & quickly."

Claire turned her gun from him to the dog. "Just tell me what you did," She began. "Or I'll kill your dog first."

Sylar instantly, discreetly, put his force power over the dog's head. "He's not my dog, he's Noah's & I didn't do anything. It's Peter who did it."

"Peter?" Claire repeated. "Is he here?"

"If he was, A I would not tell you & B he'd be dead," Sylar replied. "No one hates that man more than I, even now. But he is the one who tossed me into the future. No one else was alive then, except you & that's when Noah will get born."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Noah will be born in the year 7280, give or take a few months."

"Then why are you back here with him? Why didn't you just stay there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sylar teased.

"Yes, I would," Claire wasn't playing. "I am not leaving until you tell me."

Sylar closed his eyes for a moment. "Because, you...ohh, you die Claire & there is nothing I can do about it there."

"I die? What, did you finally kill me?"

"I NEVER WANTED YOU DEAD CLAIRE!" Sylar finally lost it on her. "Never!" Aviv yipped in fright & ran for it as Sylar advanced on Claire. "I plan to save you from what happened but the only way to do that is for me to stay in Israel with Noah, away from everyone & more importantly, out of time's way. If we're not careful, we could not only erase our futuristic son from history but I could lose you as well. Now please," Sylar lowered his voice. He could feel tears try to form. "Please leave now before it's too late. Stay away!" Claire slowly raised her gun again. "If you kill me, you'll kill Noah & yourself." They stared at each other. "Claire, I am the only chance you have."

"I'll just have to take that chance," Claire shot him at last, right where every man hated getting hit the most.

Sylar screamed & clutched himself, doubling over. "OHH YOU BITCH! IT ISN'T ACTUALLY THERE! I WAS JOKING!" He fell to his knees. "GOD! I wish you did manage to kill me just now!"

"It was worth a shot," Claire snarled.

Sylar lay on the floor & rolled onto his back as the regen cleared things up down there for the second time. "Satisfied now?"

"Fuck you!"

Sylar scoffed. "You will, in five thousand years." Claire unloaded her gun into him, shooting up his legs, shattering both kneecaps, striking his abdomen more than once & kept on shooting up until the last bullet entered his throat. After a few moments, she saw her bullets falling out to the floor as Sylar sat up. "You missed!" Claire just glared. Sylar stood up. "I get it. You're angry at my past self. I know Sylar deserves every last bit of your rage. All these years later, you're still hurting from what I did to you. Claire, despite whatever I've done, one thing I never did to you, is lie to you. I truly am sorry!"

"That doesn't undo what you did! That doesn't bring my father back!"

"I know."

"I will destroy you, Sylar!"

"My name is Gabriel," Sylar began. "When you tell me you're pregnant, I try to get my power under control for the baby's sake. Then Noah got born. It will be the most terrifying moment in my life, but also the best. Kids change a person. Sylar is finished. It's just a power stored up here." He tapped his temple with one finger. "I am in complete control of it. I know I've tried more than once to get this curse under control. But I got help. The Jews. They understand. They fixed me. I won't go back to Sylar like how it used to be. I'm holding back for Noah's sake." He added, "Can we at least agree on our son to keep him safe? He's never hurt anyone & he didn't get the Gray curse. He's a lot safer than me."

"We don't have a son!"

"Not yet," Sylar tried again. "He's from the future, where I come from."

"Why the hell didn't you stay there?"

"Because Noah didn't have his power yet," Sylar said. "He couldn't survive the death of the planet."

"The planet?"

"Earth explodes," Sylar explained. "I had to choose between you or our son. I was with Noah at the time. He had trouble breathing when the atmosphere disintegrated. I had to get him out of there but I can't get back to save you since there is nothing to go back to so I have to live through it all & find a way to stop it all from happening." He slowly put his hands on her shoulders. "No one can survive an exploding planet, not even someone like us with our regen. Claire, you don't have a war with Noah. You'd like him if you met. He's a lot like you. I need you, for Noah's sake!"

"What do you want with me?" Claire asked in a shaking voice. She was still scared of him, even now.

Aviv barked from under the table before Sylar replied. "Three things. You need to stay away for five thousand years." Claire gaped at him as he added. "Also, can you take Aviv?"

"Aviv?"

"The corgi," Sylar said. "Noah disobeyed big time. He's a good kid usually. He has never done something like this before. He has to suffer the consequences of his actions." He told her everything that had happened in the last week. "So it all has to go. That includes his dog. You're used to small dogs. You can give Aviv a good home for his twilight years." Claire looked down as Aviv finally came out of hiding to sit between them. "Uh, don't kill him before his time," Sylar pulled the empty gun from her hand.

"You want me to take the dog?" Claire asked. Sylar nodded. Claire looked down at Aviv again. "What's the third thing?"

Sylar put his hands around her face, petting back some loose hair. "Hate me for as long as you need but please, don't fear me. I am not your Sylar. That thing is done!" He wiped away a few tears from her face. "No, no. Don't cry anymore. It's over. A long time ago. Or perhaps, a long time from now, whichever way you want to look at it. Now please take Aviv & get out of here?" He leaned forward, barely touching her forehead with his lips. "I swear I won't follow you," He whispered softly.

"Five thousand years?" Claire wasn't sure she heard that right. Sylar merely nodded. "You would really stay away from me for five thousand years? Are you even capable of that?"

"We have no choice," said Sylar. "We could erase Noah if we mess up the timeline."

"I might forget you & Noah still wouldn't get born."

"You do forget me," Sylar replied. Claire stared at him. "You forget a lot, even your own name. It's because you ended up alone. Some plague wipes out the human race."

"What?"

"I'm hoping to do something about that as well," Sylar said. "But I've got some time to sort it out."

Claire pulled away & picked up Aviv. "To be rid of you for that long. I can barely believe it. But you're right about one thing. You have never once lied to me, unlike pretty much everyone else in my life."

"I really hate the mess your life is in," Sylar began. "Part of it is my fault. But I can't even help you with the way things are right now. I can only look forward & find a way to save you." He petted the corgi's head one last time. "I won't be seeing you again, you old mutt. You're not immortal like we are. But I will miss you anyway."

Aviv whined, knowing something weird was about to happen. Sylar looked at Claire, then moved away from the door to let her go. She slowly stepped outside, went to the car she had rented & left with Aviv looking back at him out of the back window. Sylar went back inside & collapsed on the couch at last. He tiredly rubbed his face with both hands as he stared at the carpet without seeing it. The day had been beyond draining & he wasn't even finished yet. He went back to Noah's room to resume what he had been doing. By the time he was done, it was late afternoon. He came downstairs, instinctively looking for Aviv but he found René instead.

"Rabbi Gatineau told us about Noah," René said.

Sylar muttered under breath, "That's next on my list. I have to call him about something first." He went out onto the front porch & called Nehemiah.

Tirzah looked down on the ringing phone. "It's Gabriel. Should we answer?"

Nehemiah picked up the phone. "Are you alright?"

But Sylar knew what was really being asked. "Relax Nehemiah, I'm not going to kill Jason." He could hear a sigh of relief from both of them. "But there is something else that we need to do."

"Tirzah & were thinking the same thing," Nehemiah said after a while. "Goodbye Gabriel." He slowly hung up & then pulled his wife into his arms as she cried in relief.

Sylar got up & went back inside to René. "You need to keep them apart from now on. You can get some help for this if you need to," he finished.

"Should I erase Jason's memory?"

"I would like to but we can't do that with Noah so there is no point in erasing Jason as Noah would just find some way of getting back to him." Sylar checked his phone. "The plane is landing in Tel Aviv right now. I'm going to go get him." He disappeared on the spot. He found the Gatineau car & stayed near it, waiting for them to come out.

"I'm not looking forward to telling your parents about Dad," Noah was saying.

"First things first," Jason grabbed Noah's hand for a moment, petting the gold ring. Both picked their extra bags off the carousel & turned to find Jason's parents.

"Uhh, your Dad doesn't look too happy," Noah said a moment later. The pair slowed down as they came closer to Nehemiah & Tirzah.

"Is something wrong?" Jason asked timidly.

Nehemiah's eyes drifted over to Noah for a moment. "Get in the car. Just you wait until we get home."

Jason & Noah lagged behind as the walk to the car seemed long & silent. Jason leaned close to Noah. "I think maybe your Dad found out we faked your consent form."

Noah simply nodded as they neared the car. They put their bags in the trunk. Nehemiah & Tirzah got in first & Jason slipped into the back seat, moving over to make space for Noah. But Noah never managed to get another step closer to the car. Someone grabbed him from behind.

"Noah, how DARE you disobey me like that!" Sylar wrenched his son around to look him in the eyes.

No glasses. Noah gasped. "Dad please! Let me...just let me ex—"

"You think I would never find out?" Sylar interrupted. He pulled his glasses from his pocket. "You see these Noah?" He held them up. Suddenly, they burst into flame. Sylar dropped them. "I will never wear them again! You have no idea how much trouble you're in right now." He yanked Noah hard to himself & hung on.

Without thinking, Tirzah half got out. "Gabriel!"

"Stay away!" Sylar bellowed at her. "I am NOT in a good place right now! Just stay away!" He hung on to his struggling son both physically as well as by his force power. "Let's go home, Noah!"

"NOAH!" Jason was already out of his seat & running towards where Sylar & Noah had just been a moment before.

"JASON GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! JASON!" Tirzah demanded.

Jason turned back. He settled in his seat once more & Nehemiah turned the car out into the street. Jason leaned forward. "Dad, we have to get Noah back."

"We are going home."

"Dad, there is something you need to know about Rabbi Gray," Jason tried again. "He is—"

"SILENCE!" Nehemiah ordered. "Not another word from you until we get home."

"But Rabbi G—"

Nehemiah slammed on the breaks, undid his seat belt & turned to strike Jason across the face. "Damn you boy! You have no idea what you & Noah just did! How dare either of you? Now shut up until we get home. I am not through with you yet! I haven't even gotten started."

Jason clutched his stinging cheek & remained silent until they got home. All he could think of was Noah being any where near that man. He had to remind himself Noah couldn't die, but on the other hand, what did Sylar have in mind for his son? As soon as the car was parked & they got out, Jason wondered if it was safe enough to speak again. "He's a killer Dad! A very dangerous serial killer!"

"WE KNOW!" Nehemiah shot at him.

"You...do?" Jason stared. "You know about Sylar?"

"Of course we know," Tirzah curtly replied as they entered the house. "All Jews know about the Kabbalah. We may not have magic in us, but we have always know that Sylar was here."

"...Always?" Jason gasped in a hoarse whisper.

"Yes since you & Noah were very young," Nehemiah said. "But we also knew Shlomo Gordon who had the exact same deadly power Gabriel has. Shlomo received the proper training for it since he was born here in Israel. He fixed Gabriel. Made him safe for society!" Nehemiah leaned close to Jason so that they were almost nose to nose. "WHAT YOU BOYS JUST DID MIGHT JUST AS WELL HAVE UNDONE ALL THAT! YOU STUPID BOY!" He back handed Jason so hard that Jason fell to his knees.

"Nehemiah!" Tirzah shrieked.

"Be quiet!" Nehemiah snapped at her. He grabbed Jason by one arm & forced him to his feet. "You will never become a Rabbi!"

"Dad?"

"I've already notified our synagogue. We're all agreed! You will NEVER join us!"

"Dad no! Please!" Jason begged. "How else am I supposed to serve G-d? That is my calling!"

"You set Sylar loose into the world once more!" Nehemiah retorted. "In the Holy Land no less! Israel has enough problems without having to deal with Sylar on top of it all! Not even G-d can help you now! You're finished! Now you march to your room! No food tonight either! Do you understand?" Jason blinked back tears & fled. Nehemiah dropped into the nearest chair. He looked up at Tirzah who was glaring at him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

She came to sit beside him. "I'm mostly worried about Noah right now."

"He can't die," Nehemiah muttered. "He'll be fine. But thanks for reminding me. I forgot to mention that." He got up & went after Jason.

Noah was thrown onto the stairs. He rolled to his back to look at his father. "Dad, I'm sorry."

"HA!" Sylar scoffed. "You're not sorry! Not yet! Now you go to your room."

"Dad can I—"

"NOW!" Sylar screamed so hard he activated an old ability of his. It flipped Noah upwards a few steps. Noah cast him a hurt look before picking himself up & going to his room. Sylar crossed his arms. "Just you wait." A few moments later, he heard a wail of anguish. "NOW you're going to start being sorry."

Noah entered his room to find it empty save for a single mattress on the floor! Everything was gone. His huge king sized bed. His plush collection. It was all gone except the makeshift bed on the floor, a single at that, & his clothes in the closet. There was nothing else left. Noah stumbled out of his room & latched onto the railing. He looked down into his father's eyes. "Dad what did you do?"

"It's gone Noah."

Noah's voice was weak & cracked with shock. "My life's work on that collection! Where are they all?"

"I said gone!"

"No," Noah looked back at the door to his room. "No no no. No this cant be happening!" He knelt down on the tiny mattress. "DAD!"

Sylar walked by the door. "Good! Now you just stay there!" By power alone, he grabbed Noah's door & slammed it shut. Sylar went to his own room & lay back on his bed. He could hear Noah sobbing in the next room. "Keep crying boy," He muttered to himself. "I'm just getting started." He knew removing the collection would really affect Noah. Destroying an obsession was a devastating blow to anyone. It was almost two hours before he heard Noah's door open. Noah slowly came out & began whistling. Sylar continued to scroll through his phone. "Ahh, well, here goes round two." He let Noah go all the way downstairs & out onto the porch looking for the dog before going after him.

"AVIV?" Noah called out towards the beach. He was starting to have a very bad feeling. He went back inside only to run into his father.

"I didn't give you permission to come out yet," Sylar crossed his arms.

"I'm going back in a moment."

"Now Noah."

"I just want Aviv with me."

"He's gone."

Noah gasped. "Did you kill my dog?"

Sylar almost wanted to say yes for the hell of it. But he had rounds three, four & five in no particular order to think about. "Of course not! While you were out having fun, somebody showed up. Claire."

"Claire?"

"Yes, Claire," Sylar repeated. "She's used to having dogs in her life, so I gave her Aviv. He's back in America right now!"

"I want my dog back!"

"I don't care," Sylar said. "You will never see Aviv again! He's getting old. Claire can end him when it's time."

"Can I see my Mom again?"

"Go back to your room!"

"You still won't talk to me about her?"

"UPSTAIRS NOW!"

"Fine!" Noah stormed up. "But you owe me an answer!"

"I owe you nothing! Now get in there & stay there!" Sylar waited for the door slam before settling on the couch.

Noah curled up under the single blanket on the mattress. He had the one pillow. His room had become a prison cell. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket & pulled it out. "What?"

"Noah? How are you?"

Noah sat up. "Jason? It's all gone! Even Aviv." He told Jason everything.

"Aviv?"

"Dad gave him to Claire."

"Noah, my parents don't want me seeing you anymore."

"I can understand that," Noah muttered. "I kind of agree with them right now. Dad's really pissed. His glasses are off. Not just off, but destroyed! Peter said no glasses means it's Sylar."

"I will find a way to get you out of there," Jason said. "Let's just give them time to calm down." He let a moment go by. "I'm banned from becoming a Rabbi now."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah," Jason sighed. "I can hear Dad coming up. I'll see you at school in a few days at least. We'll figure something out then."

"Okay," Noah lay back. "Good night. I hope." Hardly had he hung up with Jason when his door opened & in walked Sylar.

"The phone," Sylar held out his hand. "Give it to me." Noah rolled his eyes as he handed it over. Sylar took it. "You will not be seeing Jason again!" Noah glared at him. "Did you hear me, boy?" Sylar demanded. "You will not contact him in any way. I'll be blocking him on your phone. You will not speak to or even look at Jason in school either."

"I'm pretty sure you can't stop me from even looking at him, Dad!"

"Try me!" Sylar threatened. "Remember who can die around here!" Ignoring Noah's shocked look, he turned & left, closing the door behind him. Round three over & won.

Noah clutched his head, digging his fingers through his hair. Losing the collection, losing Aviv. He could handle that. Barely, but neither meant as much to him as Jason did. He would not lose Jason. But he knew he could not go with Jason now or he would lose him in a different way. Did he want Jason or did he want Jason alive? Noah burst into tears for the uncountable time that evening. He didn't sleep much that night & woke up in a daze the next morning. Earlier than usual. He went into the washroom & spent longer there just as an excuse to get out of his dismal plain room. He eventually trudged back out, passing his father's door. Sylar was on the bed, watching him. Noah wondered if he should go to his own room or go to his father. He slowly went in & sat on the edge of the bed farthest from his father.

But Sylar still grabbed him, twisted him around & held him to the bed. He stroked an index finger across Noah's forehead. "Do you know what I do to people who betray me?"

Noah felt a few tears fall. "I didn't betray you Dad."

"I am not your father," Sylar said. "Gabriel let me out to deal with you. Answer the question!"

Noah closed his eyes. "You cut them open. Expose the brain. Take their powers."

"I would really love to have your regen," Sylar all but purred. "It's better than mine."

"Then take it! I can't die."

"Pity," Sylar said. "I would love to kill you right now." Noah felt his breath catch in his throat. "Oh relax! First of all, I can't. Secondly, Gabriel's here somewhere. He wouldn't let me. That's the deal! But I can do anything else to you!"

"So are you going to rape me like what you did to my mother?"

"What?" Sylar rolled his eyes. "Oh you stupid boy. You are so much like your mother! I didn't rape her. Never have. You're an idiot!" He got off Noah & stood up.

"Then how did I get born?"

Sylar dared to smirk at him. "Well, when a male & female like each ot—"

"DAD I AM NOT IN THE MOOD! HOW DID I GET BORN?" Noah bellowed.

"You watch your tone of voice with me, young man!" Sylar ordered.

"Mom hates you!" Noah ignored him. "She doesn't even remember having kids yet all the DNA tests say Claire is my mom! I always knew she was my mother when I first saw that picture you have. I just knew!"

"Oh what do you know? You're not even born yet!"

"She IS!" Noah insisted. "Claire is my mother!"

"Boy you don't listen at all do you? I said you're not even born YET!"

They glared at each other. "When was I...oh!" Noah remembered the strange date written on the box he & Jason had found. "Oh no! 7280? That's five thousand years from now!"

"Exactly!" Sylar said.

"So Peter was right!"

"Oh you met Peter, did you?" Sylar retorted. "Don't get attached."

"He told me something about different timelines," Noah said.

"Peter threw me forward in time," Sylar corrected. "I got stuck there for a bit. Ran into Claire who had forgotten me by then. Things happened. I was in the future for almost three years. She & I got real close at last! You're the end result of that."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Noah got up. "My birth certificate—"

"Is complete bullshit!" Sylar finished for him. "All of it. Hell, we're not even sure of the actual day. Claire & I knew it was spring when you were born. I picked May nineteenth as a logical middle date in the middle of the season."

"EXCUSE ME?"

"Sorry, it's the best I can do!"

"The best you can—oh my God! How could you do—I hate you so much right now!"

"Funny thing, so does your mother in this past timeline," Sylar just smiled.

"I wonder why!" Noah groaned through gritted teeth. "So I'm not even born in New York then?"

"The State, yes. The city, no," Sylar said. "More than half of New York State will drown. The city will end up all under water some day. I don't even know when but that was yet another reason I wanted you to stay out of that place. You could get dragged under whenever the land shelf breaks."

Noah put both hands on his face. "I have a stress headache right now!"

"I don't care," Sylar snapped. "Let's go downstairs. Your Christmas present is waiting."

"Christmas..." Noah all but stumbled after his father, nearly falling down the stairs. He managed to catch himself & using the railing, he got down on his feet. He looked around. "Wait, where are all the decorations?"

"Got rid of them to," Sylar replied tersely. "You're a Jew now. You guys don't celebrate Christmas."

"I'm not converted yet," Noah replied tiredly.

"Oh that's right & I doubt you ever will because you can't get circumcised," Sylar smiled at Noah's confusion. "You'll heal it right over! Here." Noah glared at the envelope. "Take it," Sylar insisted. "It's a gift from the school."

Noah furiously ripped it open. He took several minutes to read through the letter. "I have to redo Grade twelve?"

"Be grateful Noah! You were very nearly expelled for lying on a consent form!" Sylar snapped. "Oh & you will be doing Grade two, ya know, the one you skipped, during summer holidays so kiss your plans good bye!"

"Whatever," Noah slammed the school letter onto the coffee table.

Sylar just smiled again. Round four was now over. "Just wait until you get back to base. Your commander has his own ideas for you. I believe it's something along the lines of double training but no promotion for a very long time or something like that. Which means never since you will only be there two years & it will be just two years let me assure you!" Noah just glared, making Sylar laugh. The extra work but nothing to show for it in the military was his fifth round of bringing Noah down. Sylar stood close to his son. "Are you quite sorry yet?" Noah looked to the floor as tears fell again. "Did you really honestly think I would never find out, hmm?" Sylar asked softly, dangerously. After a moment, he pulled Noah into a hug, but it wasn't the soft tenderness they had once shared between them. It was cold. "Merry Christmas." Sylar let Noah go.

"This is not what I wanted," Noah sniffled. "Not at all what I wanted."

"Hmm? What? Oh! My poor dear boy. I'm so sorry!" Sylar taunted. "No one wants a serial killer for a father yet here we are!"

Noah rubbed his eyes with one hand but it didn't help. "D-Dad? I don't even care about the killings right now. I really don't!" Sylar raised his brow in surprise. Noah wasn't lying. "I just want Jason back."

"Well you're not getting him back," Sylar replied. "Besides, with the workload you're facing, you won't have time for Jason anyway. I'd say kiss your boyfriend goodbye but you can't even do that now."

Noah held up his hand, showing the two rings. "Jason proposed to me & I said yes. He is my fiancé now."

"It's over Noah!" Sylar disagreed. "You're not marrying him & with the way things are going, you won't be able to get married for a very long time. I'll take that ring!" Before Noah had a chance to protect it, Sylar had yanked it off by his force power. He held it up in one hand & flames soon engulfed it. The flames disappeared a moment later & Sylar opened his hand to reveal nothing more than a pile of gold dust in his palm. He threw it at Noah. "Get used to it!"

"WHAT MUST I DO TO GET JASON BACK?" Noah threw himself at Sylar's feet & bowed down to the floor. "Please! I'll do anything."

"There is nothing you can do," Sylar replied. "Now get up!"

"There must be something," Noah looked up at him; though, he could barely see through the tears. "You can take my collection. You can take my dog. Fine! I accept that! I accept okay? But please leave me one good thing in this world! I need Jason!" He curled up on the floor. "Please leave us alone. It's killing me inside!"

Sylar crouched down next to his son. He petted back some of Noah's hair. "Is your heart breaking yet, Noah?" He coldly asked. Noah could only nod, still sobbing. Sylar grabbed his hair & wrenched him forward. They were now kneeling on the floor, facing each other. "Good!" Sylar angrily declared. "What you feel right now? It's only half as bad as how much you broke my heart when you ran off behind my back & betrayed me like that!" He stood up. Noah slowly got up a moment later. Sylar continued to glare at him. "Think about that!"

"It's not how I meant it," Noah whispered.

For the first time, Sylar struck Noah. Hard across the face. It didn't physically hurt Noah as much as it would someone like Jason, for the super-regen instantly cleared it while the strike was happening, but it wounded Noah to the core. His father had never struck him before! "You're as troublesome as your mother!" Sylar retorted.

"Dad—"

"Get back to your room!"

"Dad, if you would just liste—"

"Why? You didn't listen to me! Now go back to your room & stay there!"

Noah retreated to the bottom of the stairs. He looked back at Sylar for a moment before going back to his room. As the door slammed once more, Sylar closed his eyes, feeling a few tears of his own escape at last.


	23. Chapter 23

**(23) So It Begins**

Noah didn't come out again, leaving Sylar alone. It took a few hours for Sylar to calm down. He was starting to second-guess himself. Had he been too hard on Noah? When was it enough? The poor boy had been slammed from all sides on one day, Christmas Day at that. Sylar made some coffee & went out to sit on the porch. He watched the Mediterranean crash lazily on its shore. As he slowly relaxed, he started thinking on how to repair the damage now between him & his son for the first time in their lives. They had never driven each other away before now. Perhaps that's why Noah needed such a strong, hard lesson now. Sylar had been too soft with him.

At the same time, Sylar realized he was relieved. Noah knew about him now. There was no more fretting about it. The cat was out of the bag. It sure as hell didn't go as planned, but it was done now. Done & over with. No, not completely over with. Noah knew now but they had yet to actually talk about it. Well what better way to start talking than over something to eat? He got up & headed for the kitchen.

A while later, he placed two plates on the table, then went to the stairs. "Come on Noah, it's time to eat!" Sylar hollered up the stairs. "Noah? Get down here right—" He stopped himself, realizing his voice was harsh & snappy. Trying to maintain some control, in a softer voice, he tried again, "Come on, Noah. You must be hungry?" There was no answer. After a minute or two, Sylar went back to the table alone. "Fine, go ahead & starve," He muttered to himself. He began eating, expecting Noah to show up halfway through like he usually did if he had been rudely awakened.

But Noah didn't show up. Sylar ended up covering the extra plate & putting it in the fridge for later. He went to the living room & sat down to check his phone. There had been a message left from almost an hour ago. It was from Tirzah. He listened to it.

"Gabriel? Is Jason there? He ran away!"

Sylar dropped his phone & teleported into Noah's room. It was empty! "Great!" Sylar passed one hand through his hair. "Now what?" He looked around. There was a folded piece of paper on the pillow. Sylar picked it up & opened it.

_'Sorry Dad, but you've forced me to choose between you or Jason. I'm going to be with him. _

_When I saw a video of Claire, I thought she was like me, getting her power after the explosion like how I got mine after I got run over. I thought maybe you didn't know & had assumed she was dead. That is why I went after her. I wanted to bring her home to surprise you. I wanted my family together! That's the real reason I didn't tell you. Her being alive & home was supposed to be your Christmas present._

_While in America, there were two other people who told me something you had once said. The power made you do it. You didn't ask for it. I don't understand exactly what it all means, but I get it wasn't your fault. What I can't get over right now is how brutal it all was. How could you do that? But it doesn't matter right now. Maybe someday we can talk about it. But not now._

_I really hate the mess I made, but I'm nearly eighteen. You have no right to take Jason away from me. I'm going with him. See you in a couple of centuries, maybe. Noah'_

Sylar ended up smiling a little in spite of it. "I thought Asexuals didn't have hormones." Either not understanding or not caring how off he was on that topic, he went back for his phone & called Tirzah.

"Hello Gabriel," Nehemiah answered instead. "Is Jason with you?"

"No but I think he's with Noah," Sylar said. "He ran away too."

"We know," Nehemiah said. "Noah showed up looking for Jason so they aren't together yet."

"Noah's at your place?"

"Not any more," Nehemiah said. "He ran off before I could grab him. I'm driving around looking for either one of them."

"I'll get the bike & join you out there."

"Is that a good idea?"

"Let's get our boys back," Sylar said. "We'll deal with the idiots after we catch them. I'll get my Kabbalah on it as well."

"Alright," Nehemiah hung up. He felt slightly safer when those from the group joined the search. If worse came to worse, perhaps their combined powers could hold off Sylar for a bit.

They searched Haifa for almost two hours. Everyone from Sylar's group had come out & even Yacov showed up. It was late in the evening but there had been no sign of either Noah or Jason. By the time night fell, everyone had divided into pairs for shift work over night. The half that would be off would sleep in the small temple they used so it would be quicker to rotate every two hours. But there was no sign of either of them & by the time dawn started to approach, both Sylar & Nehemiah were beginning to wonder if they had over done it. It was their turn to take a break. Jessica, Yacov & Raphael were also there but sleeping in a small side room.

Sylar made some coffee in his office & poured it into two cups. He handed one to Nehemiah. "Have you ever hit Jason?" He suddenly randomly asked.

"Sure all the time," Nehemiah said. Sylar stared at him. "Would you relax? I've never beaten him black & blue. But nothing wrong with a good cuff to get them in line. Spare the rod, spoil the child."

"I've never done it, until yesterday," Sylar admitted. "On Christmas too."

"Oh," Nehemiah took a sip of his coffee before going on. "I know some people somehow manage to not spank their kids. Sometimes it works. You've done well with Noah."

"Until now," Sylar scoffed. "I've really screwed him up this time."

Nehemiah put his cup aside. "I take it he knows about your, uh, alter ego now?"

"Alter ego," Sylar laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah. He does. Oh I had everything planned perfectly for his birthday. I wanted him to hear it from me. Now his vision of me is shattered beyond repair. I can't put the pieces back together again."

"You will repair it Gabriel," Nehemiah said, deliberately choosing to use the given name despite the fact that the glasses were gone. "It will never be the same but you will fix it better than any of us could if we were in your place. You & Noah have plenty of time."

"That's the only good thing right now," Sylar replied. They left the office & slowly walked through the temple, eventually ending up on the raised stage at the front. "I've never been up here."

"You haven't?"

"Why would I be?" Sylar shrugged. "I'm no preacher. I'm atheist. I can help them with powers but they do their own stuff with the religion."

Nehemiah looked over the area. "Jason would have made a good Rabbi."

"I'm sure he'll get back to it," Sylar said.

"No," Nehemiah disagreed. "We banned him for what he did, taking Noah out like that."

"Oh, I see."

"He had a gift of memory," Nehemiah went on. "He knows eighty-seven percent of his Torah off by heart so far & is learning more of it."

Sylar's intuition was suddenly perked. "An ability perhaps?"

"Just good memory," Nehemiah shrugged. "I doubt any ability would affect that."

"Uh it can," Sylar began. "...so I let her go. Can't win against time travellers. But Charlie was the one that really got away from me."

"Soooo in other words," Nehemiah slowly started. "I keep Jason well away from you when we find him."

Sylar laughed. "I'm not going to kill him. I am letting Noah assume that though, but no, I won't."

"You're letting Noah assume that?" Nehemiah couldn't help but laugh as well. "You can be evil when you want to be."

"I try to be," Sylar teased, glancing around as both heard the thud of a door.

"Bit early to rotate yet, isn't it?"

They watched for a bit before Sylar said, "I don't think that's someone changing shifts." They saw a figure go into Sylar's office. The place was mostly dark as it was still just before dawn so they were not seen. "Nehemiah, I think it's Noah!" Sylar ran forward with Nehemiah close behind.

The light went on as both entered to find Noah on the office phone. Noah slowly lowered it as Sylar & Nehemiah came in. He tried to run around the desk to avoid them but Sylar pinned Noah to the wall by force alone.

Nehemiah moved forward a little but remained slightly to Sylar's side, out of the line of force power between father & son. "Noah, where's Jason?"

"I don't know."

"Don't lie to me!" 

"He isn't," Sylar said. After a questioning look from Nehemiah, Sylar added, "I have an ability to detect lies." Nehemiah rolled his eyes. "Noah, what are you doing here?"

"You took my phone," Noah answered. "Nothing's open right now but I know where the spare key is to your temple. I thought I could call Jason from here. What are you doing here?"

"The entire Kabbalah that are under me are all out looking for you," Sylar said. "Let's go home."

"I'm not going with you," Noah said.

"You don't have much choice in the matter."

"I'll just leave again."

"You don't even know where Jason is," Sylar pointed out. "Where you going to go?" Noah had no answer. "Thought so. You're coming home with me."

"Rabbi Gray?" Jessica came into the office. She gasped at seeing Noah. "Oh you found them!"

"No," Sylar shook his head. "Just him. I'm taking him home. Work with Nehemiah to find the other one." He pulled back, yanking Noah into his arms, & teleported home with him. He didn't let go for a long time as they stood in silence on the living room floor. "I'm so sorry, Noah," Sylar finally whispered. "I never meant for any of this to happen this way."

Noah pushed him away at last. "I don't care about any apology! That is NOT what I want from you so save it! Sorry means absolute shit to me right now!"

"Then what do you want from me?" Sylar asked quietly. Noah crossed his arms & looked away. "Noah, we have a lot to go through. We have to start somewhere. Tell me what you want, please?"

Noah let his arms drop as he glared at has father. "Not what, WHO & you damn well know it!"

"Jason."

"Yes, Jason!" Noah snapped. "I demand you give him back to me or you will lose me, I swear! I will hate you for eternity! I already hate you enough as it is for everything else you did but I can eventually forgive it. I just need some time. But Jason is non negotiable!" Sylar reached out to put a hand on Noah's shoulder. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME RIGHT NOW!" Noah stepped away.

"I have to," Sylar replied as gently as possible. "More than one of my abilities requires touch. It will help me understand you better." He slowly reached out again & this time, Noah let him; though he wasn't happy about it & scowled through the whole thing. Sylar passed both hands over his son's shoulders, down his back, then on his face. The rage & hate was evident enough even without abilities. Noah's deepest desire was not only to be with Jason, but also to take him far away to keep him safe. Sylar moved closer & put their foreheads together. "Ah Noah," Sylar sighed. "I did this to you." He slowly pulled up Noah's hands to hold them between their chests. "I'm not actually going to kill Jason. I wouldn't dream of it. I just let you assume that so it would be easier to control you, or so I thought."

"You don't want to kill him?"

"No," Sylar said. "I had a chat with his parents & we all agreed to separate you two." He looked into Noah's eyes. "His parents are in on this. I'm not going to kill anyone over it."

"Why would his parents do that?" Noah asked. "I thought they liked me?"

"They do," Sylar said. "It's just they were worried that what you two did, sneaking off to New York like that, might set me off. Unleash this monster within. They're just being careful. Mortal folks are like that you know, even without me around."

"The monster within," Noah echoed. "Sylar. But it is out. I saw it yesterday."

"I let you see Sylar as I was way too mad & hurt at what you did," Sylar admitted. "You knew by then so I figured it wouldn't matter. It can't hurt you even if it wanted to & it did want to. You were perfectly safe & I had the time to calm down & get it back under control which was most important. I'm sure you know why now."

"I know why!" Noah looked away. "So you won't go on a killing spree."

"Right."

"How could you even! What you did!" Noah exclaimed. In a cracked voice he asked, "Why?"

"The ability I was born with has a sort of hunger," Sylar began. "It demanded more of me than even I could understand. Turned me into a killer. I tried so hard, more than once, but until Shlomo got to me, I was on my own. I got born with it & it's genetic. I got it from my father, Samson Gray, but he never got help like I did. He killed a lot more. Fortunately he was mortal & died, but not before passing on the Gray curse. I was worried you would get it."

"Me?" Noah gasped in a shock whisper. "I could get that power?"

"Well I don't think so now," Sylar said. "You got that super-regen instead. I hope it ends with me. I didn't ask for this Noah, but I have become Death now, doomed to forever walk this Earth since in a cruel twist of irony, I myself can not die. I just need to keep this under control."

"When was the last time you killed someone?" Noah asked. "ISIS doesn't count."

"In that case, it would be five thousand years from now but also almost eighteen years back from now," Sylar managed a short laugh. "I've tried many times to get control of this thing. But when your mom gets pregnant with you, it gave me some incentive to really fight it. I was able to control it just before you were born. Then with Shlomo's help in this era, I'm able to keep it confined."

"When I saw Sylar yesterday, I thought maybe you had reverted back to your old self."

"That was kind of the idea," Sylar shrugged. "I had enough control of it to not do that." He stepped backwards, still holding on to Noah's hands as he pulled him towards the dining area. "But that was not the first time you met Sylar, was it?" He sat Noah down in the exact same chair as on the night he had come him with an activated ability & leaned back against the bar counter. "When you got your ability, it kind of came out."

"I KNEW something was weird!"

"You reminded me of your mother on the day I took her power," Sylar explained. "I told you exactly what I told her. I was seeing her again, not you. That's what set it off that time. So I left you for a bit until I could calm down."

"That explains why I would find you in the garage some times," Noah said. "It looked like you were fighting some mental battle."

"Oh I am, even to this day," Sylar said. "Haven't hidden in the garage for years though. That was still in my early years, during Shlomo's training. Anyway, you weren't supposed to see those. Kind of the reason why I'd run off to the garage all the time back then."

Noah shrugged it off. "It also really explains why you'd do so well as a killer in a slasher movie."

Sylar doubled over in laughter for a moment. "Yup! Oh did I ever have fun with you idiots that night!"

"Jason wasn't very impressed with you," Noah complained.

"Neither were you," Sylar was still laughing. When he finally calmed down, he came to sit in the chair next to Noah. "Hey, that was me as Gabriel though. Neither of you were ever in any real danger. I was just having a bit of fun, considering what you two were watching."

Noah nodded silently as he wiped away a few lingering tears. He couldn't look his father in the eye anymore & he was done talking to him. As Sylar watched over him, waiting for an audible response, he understood that Noah had at last flown the nest. Noah reminded him of a wild rabbit hiding, waiting for the first chance to bolt. Sylar knew it was highly unlikely Noah would stay here in the home they had shared for nearly Noah's entire life so far, He had to let Noah go in the hopes that somewhere in time, they could find a way to each other again. But did their separation have to be so harsh? If only they had made it to Noah's eighteenth birthday. If only, but it was way too late now.

As if on cue, Noah pushed back from the table & stood up. He looked around the place for a moment. "I honestly didn't expect to come back here," he finally spoke. "I grew up here. This place was my home. All four of us were supposed to be here today. I didn't plan on losing everything," He turned to glare at Sylar. "And everyone. I know you can hold me back even without touching me. Uncle Luke sent me the list of all the powers they know about. What you do to me is telekinetic. I have to get Jason back. He's all I have left. So either you let me walk out that door, or you find some way of killing me today because I have no intention of staying here with nothing."

"I know," Sylar replied softly. "But if you walk out that door, you'll be throwing it all away, including Jason."

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill him?!"

"I'm not," Sylar said. "But you don't know where he is. None of us do. You have no place to go right now. Then there's the matter of school & the military as well. Really Noah, have you even thought this through?"

"I'll find him!"

"Sure & then both of you get picked up by the ISIS or some such faction," Sylar replied. "You can't die, but he can. You on the other hand, will wish you could die once those sort get their hands on you."

Noah looked away, softly weeping. "I need Jason. It's hard for people like us to find partners. Aces are extremely picky & there are few of us. We're not just your regular pair of lovebirds who can just get with anyone. It takes years for most of us to find someone suitable."

"I know," Sylar said. "I know, slow burn it's called." Noah stared at the floor. Sylar watched him for a while. Noah looked absolutely defeated & broken. It is what Sylar had wanted, right? But now even he wasn't so sure any more. He knew a parent should not negate on their plan of control, but maybe they all had gone just a little overboard. "Give me a year, Noah. That's all I ask. Just one more year."

Noah barely raised his head to look at him. "Why?"

"You have to redo your past school year," Sylar began. "Double training in the military. Grade two during summer. If you do all that, you can get all your credits."

"I don't care."

"I'm not finished," Sylar went on. "If you do all that & don't put another toe out of line, then & only then, I'll allow you to see Jason again."

"You'll let me see him?" Noah exclaimed.

"Only if you don't screw up again!" Sylar all but glared. "Listen very carefully. If you stay here at home, you have a very long, very hard year ahead of you. One wrong move & Jason's memory will be wiped. Think you can do that?"

"Dad...I..." Noah ran forward & jumped into his father's arms.

Sylar held his son close again, feeling some sense of normality return. "I mean it Noah. One wrong move! You won't be going on any trips either even if I would normally approve them. You are to stay home & work your ass off! Do you understand?"

"Mhm," Noah all but sobbed in relief.

"If all goes well, maybe Jason can kiss your sore ass better next year."

Noah shoved Sylar away. "I hate you." Sylar just laughed. "I have a condition of my own then."

"You're not in much of a position to negotiate," Sylar warned.

"No negotiations," Noah defended. "But you owe us both a new gold band."

"Alright," Sylar agreed. "If you guys are still interested next year, I will buy rings for both of you. I'll pay for the entire wedding."

"Can I get that in writing?" Noah asked.

Sylar smacked him over the top of his head. "Smart ass. You get that mouth from your mother!" Noah managed a short life in spite of himself. "I mean it," Sylar went on. "Those are definitely Claire's lips. You have so much of her in you." Noah rolled his eyes. Sylar moved forward & took up Noah's hand. "I know this next year is going to be very strange for you. I'm not talking about your double workload or Jason. I mean me. You know something about me now & I know you have questions. So do I. We need to have a really long talk about that later."

"Yep," Noah replied slowly. "I still can't fathom how I'm the son of...of a..." He pulled his hand away.

Sylar moved away, feeling hurt. "I know I deserved that from you. I knew this day was coming but now that it's finally here..." He looked into Noah's eyes. "You can say it Noah. Let's not try to hide it any more. It's okay to use the terms to describe me. I am a murderer. A serial killer. The best one in the world, the most feared & most deadly! Even though I stopped years ago, for your sake no less, it is what it is. I have the death penalty over my head all across America even though they can't kill me. There is no question about it, I did some heinous crimes back in the day as a mass murderer. Why deny it, especially now?"

"I know it had something to do with the power you were born with," said Noah. "You didn't get trained like Shlomo did. You weren't in control. But did you have to be so...so b-brutal?" He was reduced to tears once more.

Sylar waited for him to calm down before answering. "That has to do with the powers as well," He began. "Exciting the adrenals makes the powers bubble up. It made me stronger than Peter who I hated the moment I laid eyes on him. Feeling is mutual. We never got along. I can see the power work & can copy it in better detail than he could. It's why I chased your mom all through her house. I had her running like a scared rabbit. She didn't know she can't die at the time & I didn't tell her until after. She stabbed me that day."

"Good!" Noah stated.

Sylar smiled shortly before going on. "I do really hate what happened. But after coming here to Israel, someone once told me to not let these powers I have go to waste. Don't let them die in vain. It helps me get through the day some times."

Noah was leaning over the bar counter by now, head in hands. He slowly looked up at his father. "Can you promise me that you will never murder anyone again outside of this war?"

"Absolutely not," Sylar said, surprising Noah. "I have one more murder planned but I have to wait five thousand years. Ohh does that ever piss me off!"

Noah rolled his eyes again. "Okay, besides Uncle Peter, can you promise me you will never murder anyone again?"

"Of course! Definitely!" Sylar quickly promised. "No problem. Even Shlomo said I won't kill for powers again. So yeah, I'm sure I won't."

Noah nodded as he stood straight. "This is going to take me a long time to come to terms with."

"Noah," Sylar whispered. "Take all the time you need."

"I know the deal is for me to stay home for one more year," Noah said. "But I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. I want to make it work. I want Jason back but I also want my Dad back. I have no idea how to do that!"

"Oh God! If only you had waited for your eighteenth birthday," Sylar lamented.

"Why? What were you planning for my birthday?"

Sylar looked his son over. "I was going to take you to New York City myself." Noah stared at him. "I was going to bring you there, show you the sites including Ground Zero & then, I was going to show you..." Sylar voice faltered. "I was going to show you me. I wanted to tell you. I had it all planned. I wanted you to hear it from me. Ariel was going to help me but she got gunned down for being born Jewish. I've seen a lot of death in my life, I caused most of it. But I have never seen someone killed for their faith like that. That did something to me. But anyway, you ruined everything. Noah? It should have been me! You took that right away from me by your disobedience! If only you had waited."

"I am so sorry Dad," Noah replied in a broken voice.

"This is the first apology from you I actually believe," Sylar said.

"You know, when we first found out about all this," Noah started. "Jason & I wondered how Ariel died. We thought maybe you might have killed her but used that raid as a cover."

"No, I didn't kill her," Sylar said. "I soaked up her power when we...well you don't like THAT topic, but anyway, we were out on a date after that sort of thing when the raid happened. Noah, I do not kill anyone for their race, their faith & that includes Muslims, most are fine people; their sexuality or gender. For stuff like that, I am very open & supportive of. It was just a literal power struggle back then. Had nothing to do with who they were, only what they owned. Ariel died for being Jewish, not at my hands. I tried protecting her, but there were too many."

"I believe you," Noah said. "Also, I'm glad I was wrong about you concerning Mom."

"Yeah I don't rape people either, Noah! You blithering idiot!" Sylar muttered. "But, back in the past, I did still harass her to a point. I was a bit of a love sick pervert but I never went that far with her. Then, in the future, it will all be different. I do love your mother, Noah & she will love me back. It's just a long time from now."

"I know that now."

"Alright," Sylar began moving for the stairway. "Now, what do you say we go upstairs, get your phone & call Jason?"

"Really?"

"Uh-uh, just to bring him home Noah," Sylar reminded him. "You are grounded for a year, over a year actually. Not until your nineteenth birthday & before you bring up the 'I'll be eighteen soon' argument, sorry but I have your school & your commander backing me up. You screwed up big time. You owe all of us this extra year!"

"I know, I know! But I can tell him that, can't I?" Noah countered. "He'll definitely want to come home for sure."

"Just find out where he is," Sylar ordered as they headed upstairs. "I'll call his parents & explain our new plan." He handed Noah his own phone back then called Jason's parents. Noah moved into the hall & quickly called Jason.

"Noah, how are you doing?" Jason answered.

"Better," Noah said. "I tried running away to find you though."

"I'll come get you in a few days."

"Where are you?" Noah asked. "Everyone is turning Haifa upside-down looking for you."

"I'm in Jerusalem," Jason said. "I'm going to re-establish myself here to become a Rabbi. As soon as I have the courses set up to finish my schooling here, I'll come get you after the holidays."

"Jason," Noah hesitated. He looked into his father's room to see Sylar watching him, still on the phone with Nehemiah. "Something happened over here. I don't really know what. Can you come home? Now?"

"No, I'm not set up yet."

"Jason, you need to come home, right now," Noah ordered. He waited by there was no answer. Noah tried again. "Dad & I came to an agreement." He explained, ending with, "I really wish we had waited for my birthday now."

"They want to keep us separate for a year & a half?" Jason finally groaned.

"I know it's long, but we did really screw up," Noah said. "Besides, I have a lot to do since I have to start over with school & all. We will graduate together next year at least & we will be together then since that's after my, uh, well the day we are using as my birthday."

"I guess," Jason replied glumly. "But if I go home, I won't become a Rabbi in Haifa."

"Jason, I just talked the greatest killer in the world out of banning me from you for life," Noah said. "I'm sure you can talk your parents down somehow. They all admit to over-reacting with us."

"My father will never back down," Jason said. "It's over between us, me & my Dad I mean. I'm never speaking to him again after what he did. I've left the family."

"Oh," Noah replied dejectedly.

"Look if they are going to allow us back together when we turn nineteen, I might as well just stay here & work on becoming a Rabbi," Jason said. "I'll come get you for your birthday next year."

"I really miss you."

"I miss you to," Jason said. "I'll be right there on your next birthday. By sun up ok?"

"I look forward to it," Noah replied quietly. After hanging up, he leaned on the railing & looked down into the entrance. It was hard to believe it, but Jason wasn't coming back any time soon.

"Noah?" Sylar came up behind him.

Noah shook his head. "He's not coming back anyway."

"Did you guys just break up?"

"No," said Noah. "He had a huge fight with his father. He doesn't want to come back. I told him about being allowed to see him again next year. He'll come here for my birthday then but to take me home with him. He won't stay. He wants nothing to do with his father." He looked up at Sylar. "I kind of understand that feeling. I hate that!"

"We literally have all of eternity to sort that out," Sylar said. "Just know that I'm not like that any more. I can act it out but I left that life so far behind, it seems like another lifetime ago. Your lifetime."

Noah tiredly rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. "I really wish you could erase my memory of Sylar."

"Things would have been so different if you had just listened to me," Sylar said. Noah merely shrugged & began heading downstairs. Sylar clapped a hand on his shoulder, making Noah look back at him. "Now where is he?"

"I told you," Noah said. "He isn't coming back."

"He doesn't have any choice in the matter," Sylar replied. "His parents need him back."

"But if he comes back here, he can't become a Rabbi," Noah said. "That's his life's dream. He's gone to try again somewhere else. Away from his father." He turned back to try going downstairs again.

"Noah," Sylar called in a warning voice.

Noah blinked back a tear. Damn it, would he ever stop crying? "You would destroy that for him?" Noah asked. "If his father gets his hands on him, it'll all be over."

"That isn't our problem," Sylar said. "I'm sure he can go back to doing what he is doing later. He needs to come home. Now, last chance or the deal is off!"

Noah shook his head in defeat once more. "He's in Jerusalem."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Sylar held up his own phone. "Did you get that Nehemiah?"

"Sure did," Nehemiah said. "We're leaving now."

"Good luck," Sylar said before hanging up. He passed his son on the stairs, each sharing a dark quiet glare. Noah turned back & went to his room instead, closing the door. Sylar jumped a little at the door slam. He stood in the large bay window & looked at the blue ocean. "So it begins..."


	24. Chapter 24

**(24) Reunion**

Nehemiah parked the car & got out. Tirzah stood holding her door open as both looked around. It was strange being in Jerusalem. There hadn't been an attack in the city since Sylar had sent what he found to the Prime Minister. The rubble was gone. The city was being rebuilt, but more importantly, staying rebuilt. They had come to Jerusalem on their own, leaving Sylar's Kabbalah group behind to look after him in case he snapped. Nehemiah felt he didn't need their help any more as he had a pretty good idea where his son had gone off to the moment he heard Jason was in Jerusalem.

"It's almost time," Nehemiah waited for his wife to close her door before locking the car. "I'll meet you at the shop by the corner." He pointed towards it.

"Are you sure he'll be there?"

"I know why he came here," Nehemiah said as they started walking down the street.

"I wish I could help you."

"I'll get him, don't worry," Nehemiah assured as Tirzah turned into the shop. He watched her through the window for a moment, then headed down to one of the most holiest sites in the city, the Wailing Wall. He stood before it for a while, paying his own respects. Slowly he moved sideways through the praying crowds, working his way towards a group of younger men. Sure enough, he spotted Jason among five or six others. He waited for them to finish one prayer, then grabbed Jason by the collar. "Gotcha!" He hissed.

Jason jumped & glanced around. "In the middle of prayers, father?" He angrily whispered back.

"How else am I supposed to catch you?" Nehemiah returned. "Now hurry up & finish!" He added in a more pleasant voice. "I'll join you." Jason just stood there, glaring at the Wall, hating on everybody. "Well?" Nehemiah prompted oh-so-sweetly. "Let's finish, since we're here."

Other Jews were casting them some looks now. Jason put one hand on his face for a moment, slightly embarrassed. He all but yanked his own Torah out & focused on that, ignoring his father. They finished the prayers together; though, Nehemiah's hand never lost its grip. All too soon, Jason felt himself being steered back towards the car.

Tirzah came out to meet them as they passed the shop. She snatched Jason in her arms, glad he was found safe. "Oh you stupid boy!" She all but wept over him. "What did you think you were doing? Are you alright?"

Jason shot a dark look at his father, who silently returned it. "Not one bit!" Jason growled through gritted teeth.

Nehemiah leaned close. "Get! In! The back!" He vehemently ordered. It was a silent drive out of the city. Nehemiah didn't even bother to ask Jason what hotel he had been using to go get his bag. Now that he had his son trapped in the car, it would be a long non-stop drive home.

"Who told you?" Jason asked after almost forty-five minutes. "Was it Noah? Did he really?"

"Not by choice," Tirzah answered. "Gabriel let your father listen in on that conversation."

"'Course he did," Jason scoffed. "You DO know what he is, right?"

"I know what he was," Nehemiah corrected. "You should be grateful Jason! We all got lucky you didn't set him off!"

"I've got to get Noah out of there."

"You've got to stay the hell away from that boy!" Nehemiah snapped. "It was Gabriel's place to tell him of his screwed up power. Not yours!"

"Then why didn't he?" Jason demanded.

"He was going to when Noah turned eighteen. He had the whole thing perfectly planned!" Nehemiah coldly answered. "Noah should have heard it from his father! Just shut up & wait until we get home. I swear to G-d you won't be able to sit for a week when I'm through with you."

"Nehemiah," Tirzah tried to calm him down. He merely put a hand up to shush her. The rest of the drive home was an oppressing silence among the three of them.

It was late afternoon by the time they got home. Tirzah got out & went to unlock the door of the house. Nehemiah went around the car to the side Jason was on & opened the door. "Well get out," He ordered after more than a minute had gone by. Jason rolled his eyes & slithered out. Nehemiah pulled him aside & gave his son a hard earned punishment before pointing him to the house. Not saying anything, Jason followed after his mother who was still waiting on the porch. Once inside, Nehemiah grabbed Jason & dragged him into the living room. A tall black man was standing there. Nehemiah shoved Jason onto the couch. "I assume you know the terms concerning Noah?" Jason nodded mutely. "ANSWER ME!"

Jason angrily shot back, "I can't see him until he turns nineteen. Can't speak to him in class or call him or even write him a note."

"That's right," Nehemiah pointed at the Haitian, silently waiting nearby. "If either one of you screw that up, you know what this man can do to you, understand?"

"He'll wipe my memory of Noah."

"Good, good," Nehemiah straightened up. "Don't even think about trying to sneak off with him either. Gabriel has ordered basically his entire group to watch you both so closely, you'll feel like you're under a microscope! I'm glad you found out about Sylar. Maybe you'll understand how dangerous it would be to disobey again, you hear me?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good! Now you go to your room & stay there!" Nehemiah wrenched Jason off the couch & threw him towards the stairs. "Go on! Up you get! Don't even think about trying anything. I mean it, literally! Gabriel's got some telepaths working for him!" Jason fled to his room without another word, but he did slam the door so hard it bounced right open again, smacking him hard on his backside in a twisted cruel irony. He closed it more carefully before tossing himself onto the bed to glare at the ceiling.

It was a very bleak New Year. The holidays had come to a screeching halt for Noah. His last Christmas was the most horrible one the planet had ever seen. It was so bad that Noah seriously considered not converting this year just to have a well-needed do-over. But did he really want to try it again with that man he called father?

An uncomfortable silence had come between them. Though Noah & Sylar still shared the same house, they barely spoke to each other & made it a point to avoid each other. Noah mostly stayed in his empty room. The only time he was with his father was on a rare occasion they'd share a meal together. They barely spoke, keeping it short & civil when they did. The next Sabbath came & went unnoticed in the Gray home for the first time since Noah could light a candle. The tapers stood cold & dark that night, imitating the bleak mood in the house.

Both knew that this was actually the easy part. Once Noah went back to school, he would have a much harder time keeping up his end of the deal. He currently shared only one class with Jason each day due to being a Grade ahead. But that would drastically change in a few short months. Summer would be better as Noah would still be stuck in school. But in the fall, they would share almost every class & be in the military together. They all knew what was at stake if they failed.

Noah got into his new car on the first day back to school. Sylar came into the garage with him & leaned into the window a bit. "If anything happens," Sylar began. "Believe me, I'll know."

Noah nodded before backing out. He knew he would be watched. He didn't know how well until that first day. His father wasn't kidding when he once told Noah he had stuck the whole damn group on him. Noah recognized several faces, from Jessica & Merida to Raphael & just about everyone else, all milling about in the school's hallways & classrooms, eyeing either him or Jason. Even Yacov was there. He had yet to set himself up with a new group & in the meantime, he had kept it friendly with Sylar even though not officially part of the group.

The hardest one was the shared class. It seemed even the teachers were in on it. Their positions had been changed. Jason was now at the back in the corner farthest from the door whereas Noah was up in front. There was no excuse to not being able to leave well before those in the back would so they couldn't even catch each other in the doorway.

The worst for either of them however, was not the fact they had to stay separate. During any recess, other friends soon noticed something was wrong. Both tried to say something without really telling anyone anything, feeling too guilty to talk about what they had done. It was a long hard day that would turn into a long hard week, then a month & eventually become more than a year.

Noah was soon called back to the base for some more training in the afternoons & over the weekends. Wondering what was in store for him, he slowly wandered into the office.

"So the wayward son has returned," Commander Tohar said the moment Noah entered the door. "I had a very long, very interesting talk with your father a while back."

"I know," Noah sat down. He put a paper on the desk between them.

Tohar looked it over. "You can't resign. You have to serve at least two years."

"I thought you might want to make an exception in my case."

"No."

"Do you know who my father is?"

"Gabriel Gray."

"No Sir, I mean do you know who my father is?"

"I'm well aware of Sylar."

"I'm his son. You still want me here?"

"You aren't Sylar," Tohar pointed out. "As for your father, that is a life long since past." He ripped the form in two & put it aside. "You are one of the best snipers I've had & you're just starting. Don't throw it all away." Noah nodded silently as Tohar went on. "But at the same time, don't think you can get out of accepting the consequences of your actions. Now, I have little to do with whatever stunt you pulled at school but your father, on the other hand, wants me to keep you really busy & I'm not supposed to allow Jason Gatineau any where near you either. Am I right?"

"Yes Sir. Not until I'm nineteen."

"I'm well aware of the terms," Tohar replied. "Normally I couldn't care less what goes on beyond my base with you young recruits, off duty at that, but as you say, you are the son of Sylar. So here's me, making an exception of you. This is a delicate matter. I can't have him set loose on my own country! I'm trying to save Israel if you don't mind. So, you will be doing double duty. You will also remain in the lowest rank possible for the next two years. On top of it all, you'll be picking up some other jobs along the way. You can start by cleaning the convey of military vehicles that have returned earlier today. They're a mess & there's a lot but I still expect you up at four tomorrow morning. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," Noah got up.

"You keep up your end of this deal your Dad made, you'll turn into a fine sniper some day," Tohar stood up as well. "I mean you better be what with all this extra training you'll be doing. Dismissed."

It was a lot of work & being up that early in the morning made Noah crankier than a baby with colic whether he slept well or not. He just didn't do mornings! But being on the base was better than at home right now. Noah was still trying to come to terms with what his father had done. They were barely speaking anyway. Noah was better off in the military. He did get better at shooting but it wasn't due to the double lessons. Noah was letting his frustration take over & he envisioned any target he aimed at as another one of his problems & shot the hell out of it. He was quick & dead center every time. It impressed Commander Tohar enough to want to send him out with the rest of the unit for a real mission close to home, but the deal was to keep Noah occupied, not give him ranks. The first offers of promotions passed him by & while his military friends went out for the first time, Noah stayed behind & focused on target practice he really didn't need. He hit every mark in record time.

In two weeks, Noah had gone home once for a short visit. He & Jason had developed a silent routine of dodging each other in school as well. Neither even dared to watch the other walking away for they were closely watched & René was always just around the corner. Working their routes around school was easy since it was predictable. Randomly running into each other in the city was a whole lot harder. Noah had once walked into a store only to see Jason there. He wanted to run to him but his father was also there. Sylar was turned away & had yet to notice but it wasn't worth the risk. Noah cast a fleeting look at Jason before spinning around & running out. For the first time in his life, Noah couldn't wait for summer to start for the simple fact that he would be rid of Jason for six weeks when he went to visit his extended family in America & Canada. It would be so much easier to not have him around than to be forced to stay away from him like this!

As the base was closed for a special event that weekend, Noah went home for the second time. He was in the living room, spread out on the floor with homework that he knew would be useless to him since he wasn't graduating this year after all, but he still had to do it anyway, when Sylar returned from the Kabbalah.

Sylar leaned on the entrance way, looking in. "Shame that all goes to waste."

"Rub it in, why don't you?" Noah muttered, turning a page.

Sylar moved to the couch & sat down. "You know, even though it isn't worth any credit right now, it might still help you later. Since you have to redo it all, you might remember any mistakes you made & get even higher marks next year that will be worth it."

"It's the only reason I'm doing it," said Noah.

"Is it now?" Sylar leaned back. "I thought you were doing it to get Jason back."

"That too," Noah didn't bother to argue the point further.

Sylar scoffed softly. Noah ignored him, focusing on his schoolwork. He only looked up when the doorbell rang. Sylar got up to get it. Noah went back to work but was pleasantly interrupted a few minutes later.

Sylar opened the door, expecting either Yacov or someone from his group. He stared at her. "Claire?" He hissed under breath. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away!"

"Believe me, it isn't easy for me to come back here."

"Then why did you?"

Claire crouched down & picked something up. "Here. Take him back!" Claire all but threw poor Aviv over. Sylar tried to refuse but Claire insisted. "If I keep him any longer, he'll die. I can't get him to eat. He misses you guys & you can't explain to an animal why you abandoned him. So you have to take him back, or I have to bring him to the nearest vet to put him down."

Sylar took Aviv into his arms & the dog instantly cuddled up to him, wagging his tiny tail. "Oh you poor pup," Sylar held the dog close. "I'm so sorry."

"He hasn't wagged his tail until now," Claire said. "Look I get you're trying to discipline your kid but Aviv didn't do anything wrong. He can't understand anything other than the people he is used to apparently don't like him all of a sudden. Dogs feel a lot more than we care to admit. So you gotta take him back."

Sylar put the dog down & Aviv ran inside looking for Noah. There was a shriek & a lot of yipping a moment later. "We all think we might have been a little to harsh on the boys," Sylar admitted after a nervous laugh.

"The boys?"

"Noah's boyfriend, Jason."

"Oh yeah," Claire nodded. "I saw him when they were on that school trip. Noah said Jason had just proposed to him. They were out celebrating."

"Yeah uh, that...okay that's on hold," Sylar eventually explained. "So now I've cut it down to a year & a bit so long as Noah & Jason don't screw up again."

"You always were a bit extreme," Claire said. She looked past him. Sylar turned to see Noah carrying Aviv.

"Mom?" Noah stared at her. He put Aviv on the floor. "You came back?"

"I'm not staying," Claire said. "Your father & I aren't exactly friends right now."

"I get it," Noah said. "I don't like him much either right now."

"Okay," Sylar declared loudly. "How about I leave you two alone to conspire against me while I go feed the dog before he dies?"

"Good, get out of our lives," Noah half-snapped. Sylar cast a grimaced smile at Claire before going after Aviv.

"How are you doing?" Claire asked. Noah just looked at her for a moment before breaking down. "Noah?"

"Sorry. I..."

"You screwed up," Claire said. "I know. I've been there." She slowly took his hands & pulled him closer. "It will get better."

"I'm sorry I went after you Claire," Noah gasped between tears as he buried his face into her shoulder. "If I had known."

"Forget it," Claire said. "I know the feeling. I was adopted & it took me a while to find my family. But when I did, I'm glad I knew them but some days I wish I had never found out. Maybe they'd both still be alive now."

"I know Dad killed Nathan," Noah pulled away.

"He also killed Meredith Gordon," Claire said. "My birth mother."

Noah gasped. "I didn't know that!"

"I know it means little to you," Sylar said as he came up behind Noah. "But I do hate what I've done to you. I was so out of control back then."

"I've run into a few of your Kabbalah members when I came here the first time looking for you," Claire said. "They've told me about you, how you get fixed. They really look up to you."

Sylar handed Claire a cup of coffee & sat on the porch swing. She leaned against the railing & drank a little while Noah slid down to the floor to let Aviv climb into his lap. "It scares me every day I'm with them," Sylar said. "I'm still scared of having an accident. But so far so good. It's been years since I did that."

"I'm still trying to process the fact we have a son," Claire pointed out.

"Did you talk to Peter about that?" Sylar asked, ignoring the jibe.

"No I can't find him." 

"Oh that's right," Sylar began. "I forgot you're trying to do my job."

"Your job?"

Sylar put his coffee aside. "Peter is MINE to kill Claire so back the hell off!"

Claire scoffed. "You don't even know what's going on in America."

"I don't care," Sylar said. "Peter & I have hated each other the moment we first laid eyes on each other. I'm going to kill him, not you."

"Then come to America & help me," Claire said.

"I can't leave Israel for five millennia," Sylar said. "AND I unfortunately need Peter alive when the planet explodes. Then I'll kill him."

"You need him?"

"That's what Shlomo's vision power told me," Sylar said. "I can't save you without Peter."

"Because I die." 

"Yes."

"When Earth explodes."

"That's right."

"In five thousand years."

"What do you want Claire, a damn gold star?"

"I want you dead for all your crimes!" Claire said. "You do know every single state & territory of America has the death penalty just for you, right?"

"News flash sweetheart," Sylar teased. "I'm hard to kill & anyway, you need me five thousand years from now as well. I'm the only one who truly knows what's going on."

"So we all just put everything aside & act like one big happy family for all this time & then kill each other off AFTER we all save each other, is that it?"

"Yep," Sylar laughed. "Only Noah will survive. It's all for him."

"How did you manage to keep him when you got back here?" Claire asked. "I would think anyone would try to take an infant from you before you go on another killing spree."

"That's the main reason why I left America when I came back from the future," Sylar said. "I had no intention of losing Noah to your father, after what he did to me & don't you deny it!" He shot her a silencing glare. "When I got here, I ran into Shlomo & he helped me for the rest of his life until the cancer took him."

"So you thought it was a good idea to raise a child on your own after what YOU did & don't you deny that."

"I never denied any of my murders Claire," Sylar replied tiredly. "Every body was found."

"Except Elle's."

"She's not my murder."

"She isn't?"

"Nope," Sylar said. "That's a lie spun by your father, Noah Bennet. Elle & I got real close here in this timeline, but we were both suicidal. I helped her die & buried her but I had your power by then & had to go on. That's why you can't find her body. No one ever will. I cremated her."

Claire raised a brow while she drank some more of her coffee. Noah stood up & slowly came to sit by his father. "Dad, you were suicidal?"

"Yeah," Sylar leaned back & picked up his coffee again. "Still am, sort of. It was when my power first started. I had made my first kill. I was so confused as to what was happening to me, what I did. I tried to hang myself. It would have worked too, since I didn't meet your mom yet. But that's around the time I met Elle. A lot happened. My life spiralled further out of control. I eventually met your mom & then things got even worse. But," Sylar reached out to put a hand on Noah's lap. "I got through it & I had a lot of help. Just having you really helped."

"I didn't know that about you," Claire said quietly.

Sylar looked at her. "That's because you didn't want to get to know me. I don't blame you. I was horrible to you here in this past timeline. But fact is, you don't know a single thing about me."

"Except that you're a killer."

"No," Sylar said. "You don't know anything about ME! Gabriel Gray. The man who's ass got dragged through the mud by this wretched power everyone knows as Sylar. Not a single one of you in America offered any help, just opportunities to feed me more powers just for an excuse to study me. I had to come to a foreign land to get fixed. The Jews are more my people than you Americans ever will be! I came to this land with nothing but a three month old infant in my arms. I started life over for the forth time in under forty years. My first life was when I was born, my second was given over to the killer, my third was extremely short but with you in the future & then I had to start again when I came here. Do you think that was easy? Newsflash, it was anything but easy! I mean being a single parent is hard enough as it is. Add the Sylar power to it & I'm amazed my hair hasn't gone white despite having your power."

"Sylar—"

"Gabriel," Sylar corrected sharply. "My name is Gabriel. I've buried Sylar. But you still can't use my proper name, can you?" He stood up & went to her side. "You can call me Gabriel in the future just fine though." Claire looked away. "The Jews are the only ones who actually know me. They've accepted me as Gabriel Gray even though they know more about Sylar than even I do sometimes, it seems. They've given me the help I so desperately needed when this thing first showed up. They've helped me establish a place for Noah. What has America ever done for me but threaten the death penalty for something they can't hope to understand?"

"You are a different man from what I have come to fear & hate," Claire sniffled. "I'm glad the Sylar I know is gone. I wish things had been different. I can't even imagine what it would be like raising a child on your own, having that terrible power literally at the back of your head all the time."

"It isn't easy," Sylar repeated. "Even now, it's hard, especially since Noah found out before his time. I was going to bring him to New York for his next birthday, but the idiot had to sneak off & ruin everything." He shot a glare at Noah.

"Don't be too hard on him," Claire said. "He gets that impulsiveness from me."

"I know!" Sylar snapped at her, making her jump. "In fact, he picked up every last one of your bad traits!"

"WELL AT LEAST HE DIDN'T GET ANY OF YOURS!" Claire loudly retaliated. They glared at each other before both turned away, laughing so hard they started crying.

Sylar was lying across the boards of the porch by the time he had calmed down. "He has so much of you in him. He even collects plushies."

"Dad threw them all away," Noah muttered.

"I'm sure you can get more," Claire said. "If you don't outgrow it soon like I did."

"I doubt it," Sylar said. "His obsessiveness comes from me. Only I did it with powers."

"Will I ever get to meet him when he is born?"

"Oh yeah, sure," Sylar picked himself up. "We have three more months together before it blows. We'll have plenty more when I get to that point in time again & fix it. It was really hard on Noah though. You breastfed him so when he came here, he kept looking for you. It took a long time to get him used to a bottle. He kept trying to suckle off me & let me tell you now, that bastard knows how to bite!" He grinned at Noah who had gone a bright red.

Claire doubled over in laughter. "Any pain you're in makes me extremely happy!" She said to Sylar, then patted Noah's shoulder in mock sympathy. "Keep biting him." Noah shoved her hand away, earning laughter from both his parents.

Aviv barked somewhere in the house. "Noah you should get back to your schoolwork," Sylar said, pointing Claire to the door with a short nod. They both grabbed their empty cups & followed Noah inside. Claire watched Noah settle on the floor once more, this time with Aviv by his side. She tried to approach but Aviv growled at her.

"I'm not taking you back, I promise," Claire said. Aviv just barked. "Alright." She followed Sylar to the kitchen. "He hates me."

"I'm glad it didn't work out," Sylar said. "Noah spends a lot of time out now, due to his military training. I kind of need Aviv. Anyway, it might make Noah stay home more. We've uh, we're kind of avoiding the main issue right now."

"The main issue?"

"Well he found out about Sylar from an outside party, not me like it should have been," Sylar said. "We've talked. We've threatened each other. Everything's become a hard bargaining chip now. I won't do this unless you do that, kind of thing. He barely stays home now, hiding at the base all the time to get away from me." He sighed & said softly. "It's been tough."

"Oddly enough, I can relate to that as well," Claire said. "It's hard finding out your Dad killed people."

"Yup," Sylar stared out the window. "I'm in the exact same position with my own father who gifted me the killing power & left me to it. No explanation. Then there's you."

"Me?"

Sylar turned to look at her. "You've gone a bit Villain yourself haven't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"How many people got killed when you betrayed us?"

"Betrayed you?"

"Jumping off the Ferris wheel, exposing abilities. The Jews here know what you did & they frown. The Kabbalah is the only way. It tamed me, unlike every other method tried on me in America."

"I want to live openly."

"Oh my God, Claire," Sylar groaned. "You're not gay. Well alright, you are bisexual but that is not the same as an ability! How many people died because of you showing off? How many got killed in your hunt for Peter?" Claire stared at him. Sylar added, "You have a lot of blood on your hands, more so than me."

"That's not remotely possible!"

"Isn't it?" Sylar countered. "I've been watching the videos Claire. I know more about what's going on in America than you realize. Ever since you jumped, people have died. You've all but destroyed that country by the exposure. I've seen the riots. The fighting. The display of abilities to incite fear & unrest, even racism & bigotry disguised in an ongoing fight of my power is better than yours. America is almost as bad as how Israel was barely a year ago. The wars here are still raging on, dangerously close to our borders. Noah could end up fighting in it some day! Exposure isn't the answer. Only Israel is doing it right. Can't you see your way doesn't work?"

"I know some people can't accept abilities yet," Claire defended. "But it just needs to be normalized."

"Again Claire, this isn't a sexual orientation," Sylar said. "What you did is affecting Israel. Probably other countries too."

"How?"

"The various terrorist factions against Israel," Sylar began. "Some of them have heard of the magic, as we all call it here, in America. Some have gone there to try getting abilities for themselves, either getting them synthetically or using people who have powers to fight in their holy wars. I've seen it! Doesn't happen often, yet, but now that we have managed to hold them beyond the borders, they might get a bit more desperate to get back in. Those sort of people will stop at nothing to destroy Israel & you handed them a very dangerous weapon. You're a traitor Claire. Just like your bio-father, Nathan."

Claire gasped. "How dare you?"

But Sylar wasn't finished yet. "I'm not saying this to hurt you Claire. I'm saying it because it's true. I have my son to worry about. He can't die. Fine. But what about being buried alive for all of eternity in an unmarked grave we can't find? They do that to people. They also rape men & women alike. I can't even imagine what a rape gang would do to Noah once they find out he can barely get hurt & can't die. You need to stop what you're doing in America & disappear. Leave Peter alone. I'll kill him later. Why are you trying to kill him anyway?"

"He keeps changing things in time," Claire said. "He says he is looking for someone special."

"That would be me," Noah said. Both looked around to see him standing near the table.

"How long have you been there?" Sylar demanded.

"Long enough," Noah said. "How can you say that to Mom? Calling her a traitor? I thought you loved her!"

"I do!" Sylar defended. "But this is a past timeline, not a futuristic one for me. The Claire here is about as dangerous as I was many years ago. I don't want you hurt or worse, erased!"

"Why would Peter be looking for you?" Claire asked.

"Apparently he met me once, when I was around five." 

"I think I would remember that," Sylar muttered.

"I died that day," Noah ignored him. "I was the one who died in an explosion in that timeline. Not Mom. Peter has been trying to correct that event ever since."

"What?" Sylar stared at him.

"Mom?" Noah kept his eyes on Claire. "You can leave Peter alone now. He will stop now that I'm here."

"How do you know all this?" 

"I met him on the school trip," Noah said. "In fact, that fellow I was hanging out with in the restaurant where we first met was Peter shapeshifted to look like my boyfriend. Jason was actually back at the hotel waiting for me."

"THAT WAS PETER?!"

Noah nodded. "He really misses you, Claire."

"Speaking of terrorists Noah," Claire snapped. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that man has become?"

"Apparently I attract dangerous men," Noah glanced at his father. "I'm honestly scared to see Jason in the military once he starts. He might release a beast in him none of us know about." Sylar turned away, smothering a laugh while Claire just glared at Noah. "Anyway, Peter is innocent of the crimes you think he did."

"Oh I suppose he told you that?"

"Yes," Noah replied. "Have you ever really just sat down & talked to him? I did."

"You've lived in Israel your whole life," Claire said. "What would you know?"

"I know that my entire family seem to be killers to some degree," Noah began. "I know we all seem to hate each other. I know everyone seems to want to protect me but the truth is," He drew in a shaky breath before going on in a sudden rage, "I'M THE ONE GETTING HURT THE MOST RIGHT NOW! NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE THAT!"

"Noah!" Sylar & Claire both exclaimed at the same time.

"NO!" Noah screamed back. "You all fight each other. You all hate each other. Every last one of you all say the same thing about me. Oh look through time. Find Noah Gray. He's all that matters. Well I'm right here but all everyone does is either run from me," he shot a look at Claire. "You didn't even come back to talk to me that night. You sent Savona. Or destroy my entire life," He turned to Sylar. "Take away my dog, my life's work. Separate me from my lover! Jason didn't do anything wrong! My entire family needs to stop punishing me for all your crimes you all did!"

"Noah!" Sylar exclaimed.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Noah asked Claire.

"What? I don't ha—"

"THEN STOP ACTING LIKE IT!" Noah shouted at her.

Sylar tried to calm his son down. "Noah I think we—"

"SHUT UP! I AM NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW!"

"Yeah," Sylar stepped back. "Yeah, this I can see."

"DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON YOU!" Noah retorted. "Oh! God! I hate my entire family now!" He snatched the dog up in his arms. "Except Aviv!" He turned & ran up the stairs. The door was slammed once more.

"I think he's a tad stressed," Sylar finally managed to say.

"Yep."

Sylar slammed one hand on the table, startling Claire. "You think I enjoy seeing my son like this?" He yelled at her. "Noah & I were extremely close! He rarely misbehaved. He's a good kid. You know, sometimes, he still crawls into my bed at night & cuddles up, just like a little kid. Now he's barely spoken to or looked at me for almost two weeks."

"That's on you!" Claire shot back. "Your son found the truth about you. What did you expect?"

"No NO!" Sylar groaned through gritted teeth. "If it was JUST that, we would have worked our way back to each other by now!" Claire scoffed, not believing. Sylar glared at her. "I mean it Claire! Noah & I were always very supportive of each other. But now, it's all ruined. It's more than just finding out about my alter-ego. When I heard he had snuck off to New York behind my back, I wanted to destroy him like how he had done to me, betraying me like that! But I did it in anger. I destroyed him all right & now I'm reaping the consequences of it. I don't know how to fix it & everyone knows how I get when I can't fix something!"

"Well I'm sorry but I can't help," Claire said. "I haven't been a part of your lives. I wouldn't know where to begin!"

"Same here Claire," Sylar replied. "Same here. Where do I even start?"

Both fell silent for a long time. Claire pulled a chair from the table & sat down & after a moment, Sylar copied her. "I can tell you one thing," Claire began. "You said he rarely misbehaved. So you're not used to handing out a punishment worthy of the bad behaviour to correct it. So when he did a major screw up, you instinctively went overboard."

"Yeah," Sylar shrugged. "I kind of figured that out by now."

"What exactly did you do to him?" Claire asked. Sylar gave her a long tired look before telling her everything. She sat back in her chair. "I don't have kids yet but damn! If you've never hit him, then you suddenly do that for the first time on Christmas, that right there must have been confusing for him. The fact all this happened over the holidays as well. The poor kid was blindsided!"

"I know," Sylar murmured, head in hands as he leaned over the table.

"I'm glad I brought the dog back," Claire said. She heard a soft laugh.

Sylar eventually raised his head. He stretched a little, then looked at her. "What am I gonna do? Hmm? Back in the day, I'd go out & kill off my frustrations."

"Well you could technically still do that," Claire said. She jerked a thumb in some general direction. "There's a war raging out there. I've heard you've killed some of those terrorists."

"I might actually do that later," Sylar said. He tipped his chair back & looked up at the ceiling. "Where the hell is Peter when I need him? I could use a damn good fight right about now!"

"Sorry but I came on my own to drop the dog off," Claire said. "No one knows I came here. I suppose I should get back home."

"Mhm."

Claire looked at him. For the first time, she started seeing Gabriel, not Sylar. He was watching her with a pained look, as if he had lost everything. "I don't know if I care or not, but for Noah's sake I guess I should ask: Are you going to be alright?"

"I get it," Sylar said. "This is how Noah feels. I really get it."

"Get what?"

"Claire, when you walk out that door," Sylar began. "You can not come back for five thousand years. I miss you. In the future, we're together. We have a child. I've missed you so much, but I can't have you any time soon. We've got to be careful of the timelines. I've banned Noah from Jason forever, then amended it to just until he turns nineteen. Noah only has a year & a bit to go. I have five thousand years to wait." He put his face in one hand.

"Would it help you if I said I don't really love you back right now?" Claire tried. "I kinda hate your guts!"

Sylar half-laughed, half-cried. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"I really hope you two can sort things out," Claire went on as they slowly moved towards the door. "Noah's a good kid. He just made a mistake is all."

"We have all of eternity to work it out," Sylar said as he opened the door for her. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He demanded as he looked into the eyes of Noah Bennet.

"Well if it isn't one happy family reunion," Noah Bennet glanced between the two, rather pleased at the shocked faces on both of them.


	25. Chapter 25

_(**AN:** There is a huge battle between Sylar & Peter coming up & unlike in Heroes, I hope to describe it in great detail. One major complaint & fault of the show was not showing 90 percent of their power struggles. I used both music & scenes of other sources all viewable on youtube to visualize what went on. Some of the abilities are based on some powers you can find in Final Fantasy video games. _

_Music list: Shout by Gregorian Chant/Final Fantasy 15 Apocalypse Ultima, by Vendetta Soundtracks/Final Fantasy 15 OST Apocalypse Noctis Dramatic (awesome) by Rentasan Semasa_

_Ability list Sylar: energy arc ability is based on Quickenings in Final Fantasy 12 Fran's Whip Kick while the water ability is based on Balthier's Tides Of Fate but without Balthier's whistle to summon it. _

_Ability list Peter: rods of light ability is also based on Quickenings in Final Fantasy 12 & is a mix of Lady Ashe's Northswain's Glow & Heaven's Wrath (depends how strongly he does it, Heaven's Wrath is the stronger version) while ice shards ability is based on Fran's Shatterheart._

_Also the uppercut punch Sylar does to Peter is based on Zach Quinto's actual character attack on Benedict Cumberbatch from Star Trek Into Darkness._

_Sorry. Normally I put these at the bottom, but since this is read, it might be better to have the visuals first.)_

* * *

**(25) Apocalypse Rising**

"Dad!" Claire gasped after a moment of the three of them glaring at each other. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Noah smiled at her. "Congratulations, Claire. You've finally found the long lost Sylar."

"Dad, it's not him!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm from a different timeline," Sylar said. "I'm not your Sylar."

"You're still Sylar though."

"Yeah, no," Sylar said. "Not quite what you're looking for."

Claire looked at Sylar. "Gabriel," She finally used his proper name. "I swear I came alone!"

"I heard you earlier," Sylar said. "You didn't lie, Claire."

"So," Noah Bennet looked at Sylar. "Israel. How long did you think you could hide here until one of us found you?"

"Five thousand years," Sylar replied.

"That long?" Noah quipped, almost mocking.

"He's not lying Dad," Claire said. "We all have to avoid each other for five thousand years." She shared a nervous glance with Sylar, both silently hoping their son would stay mad long enough to hide in his room for a while.

"Unfortunately, you'll be long dead, gone & probably forgotten by then," Sylar smiled. "Considering your age, I doubt you have much more than twenty five years to go, if that." He paused for a moment. "Unlike Claire, or me."

"Sylar," Claire shot him a look, now using the name when he was in trouble with her.

"Ooh & we're back to that," Sylar grinned.

"Some things about you just don't change," Claire groaned. "You'll always be an asshole."

"I try to be."

"Claire, why are you here with him?" Noah asked his daughter. "Of all people!"

"I just dropped off his dog," answered Claire. "I'm not staying." She stepped out onto the porch & made as if to leave.

Noah grabbed her arm. "There's a lot more going on than just a dog. I know about your son, Claire."

"Dad," Claire turned to him. "Just leave it alone! We should go. Now!"

But Noah didn't let go. "You & Sylar?! How long has this been going on?"

"It hasn't even started yet," Sylar replied. Noah glared at him. Sylar crossed his arms. "I'm from five thousand years in the future. I'm not your Sylar!"

Noah thought that over for a moment. "Peter mentioned something about that a long time ago. Said he got rid of you by putting you into the future."

"My son & I are both from the future," Sylar said. "Blame Peter for that one."

"Your son," Noah reiterated. "The one you'll have with my daughter?"

"Yup & there's nothing you can do about it!" Sylar laughed. Claire rolled her eyes. Noah launched himself at Sylar's throat. Sylar grabbed him with his force power & threw him down the full length of the hall. "Don't forget who made me, Bennet!" He declared as he slowly advanced on him. "If it weren't for you, I would have never become the killer America fears. I had given it up until you sent Elle into my home."

"GABRIEL! DAD!" Claire ran inside & put herself between them. "Stop it! Both of you!"

"Out of my way, Claire!" Sylar pushed her aside with his ability & moved forward once more. Noah felt himself being lifted up by the force & thrown into the nearest chair.

Still pressed against the wall unable to move, Claire growled through gritted teeth, "OH COME ON!"

Sylar ignored her. "There are two men in my life I really want to make suffer. One because I hate him for simply existing & the other because of what he did to me!" He glared at Noah. Suddenly he jumped forward & put both hands on either side of the chair as he leaned forward up close & personal. "That would be you!"

Aviv started barking, trapped inside Noah Gray's room with him. "We're not going down stairs," Noah told the dog. Aviv stopped for a moment as both heard yelling & a thud. "Dad's still upset & quite frankly, so am I." He lay back on his mattress. Aviv barked again. "Shut up!" Aviv put his head down. "Come here. Come on!" He made the dog lie down on the mattress next to him.

Aviv only obeyed for a moment before he ran to the window & started barking again. Noah groaned. "Aviv!" He sat up just in time to see something hit his window. He went to open it & stared down in surprise. "Uncle Luke? What are you doing here?"

"There you are!" Luke dropped the next handful of pebbles he was about to throw. "I've been calling you like crazy."

"Dad confiscated my phone," Noah said.

"Oh," Luke rubbed his brow for a moment. "That mad huh?"

"Yeah," Noah said. "He's throwing things around right now."

"Actually he's throwing your grandfather around right now," Luke said.

"What?"

"I've been trying to warn you that Noah Bennet found out about you," Luke said. "I got here just in time."

"MY GRANDFATHER IS HERE?" Noah exclaimed excitedly before disappearing from the window.

"No no no no WAIT! Ohh!" Luke groaned. He glanced around & then went to the back door, hoping to sneak in & catch his nephew before Noah Bennet did.

"Dad! Stop! Don't hurt him!" Noah cleared the stairs in two jumps down & dashed into the living room. Without being touched, he was slammed against the wall by Sylar's force power & held firm next to his mother.

"Why didn't you stay in your room, boy?" Sylar snapped at him. There was a loud scream from the back hall. "Now what?" Sylar looked around.

"GABRIEL!" Someone was yelling from just outside the back door. "GABRIEL HELP!"

"I swear if this is a trick, I'll kill whoever you are!" Sylar stomped forward. "I don't have time for this right now!" He stayed within the hall, still holding onto his son, his father-in-law & his bride-to-be by power alone. "Who are you & what do you w—okay that's a bit big!"

The three captives exchanged confused looks.

"What the hell is it?" the intruder asked.

"It's a camel spider," Sylar answered. "They can bite. Not lethal but it hurts. Now who are y—oh my God, don't let the thing inside! AVIV? Where is that dog when I need him?"

"Why can't you just use that telekinetic power on it?"

"Because I'm busy using it trying to hold my family together," Sylar snapped. "Now who are you?"

"Gabriel, it's me, Luke!"

There was a long moment of silence. Claire & Noah Gray went crashing to the floor the moment the force power left them as Sylar used it to flick the camel spider back outside, pull Luke in & close the door with an ominous bang all within a mater of seconds. "Luke?" Sylar stared at him. "Luke Campbell?"

"Yeah," Luke gasped. "It's me. You're brother."

"Half," Sylar corrected. "Why didn't you use your own power on that bug?"

"Didn't think of it," Luke shrugged. "Never seen one before & it absolutely terrified me!"

"They are a bit of a nuisance," Sylar agreed. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been trying to warn your son," Luke said. "I heard Noah Bennet took off for Israel. But you took your son's phone away."

"He's grounded for over a year," Sylar said. He went back to the living room with Luke close behind to find Claire & his son standing over the old man. "Bennet's already here."

Luke took a long low breath before asking in as calm a voice as he could, "What are you going to do?"

"I might have to kill him," Sylar said, enjoying the startled look in Noah Bennet's eyes.

"Dad you said you were done murdering people!"

"He knows about you now though," Sylar said. "I can't have him taking you away & screwing you up like what he did to me! You have no idea what this monster did to me! I have to protect you."

"If he was that bad, why did you leave him alive in the first place, all those years ago?"

"I only kept him alive for her sake," Sylar looked at Claire for a moment. "I had already killed too many of her family & above all, I didn't want to hurt her any more." Sylar stepped closer to Noah Bennet & looked at his son. "But you are far more important than any one else in my life." He focused once more on the man who had made him a monster. Slowly, he felt his hand raise.

"Dad!" Noah stepped in front of his grandfather. "Stop!"

"Come on, Noah!" Sylar glared at his son. "Get out of the way!"

"No," Noah stated simply. "You told me the only one you're after is Peter. You told me apart from him, it ended with me. Well here I am!"

"You don't know what this man has done," Sylar said. "What he's capable of! He is worse than I am. Bagging & tagging people with abilities."

"It's been ages since I've done that," Noah Bennet finally spoke. "I don't work for any Company any more. I haven't gone after any one with abilities in a very long time. I just came here to get Claire."

"You're asking me to believe you're not the least bit curious about a son of Sylar?" asked Sylar rhetorically. "Wouldn't you want to know if he ended up anything like me? Study him? Pick him apart & then put back together as your new pet blood hound like what you did to me? Really?"

"Of course I'm a bit curious about your son!" Noah Bennet declared. "But even if I did want to do any of that, which I DON'T, I can't. I'm alone now & have been for probably about as long as your son has been alive!" They glared at each other. "Am I lying, Gabriel? You have a lie detecting ability. Use it!"

"I will not be dictated to in my own home," Sylar replied coldly. "Least of all by the likes of you!" He swiped his finger sideways & pushed his son & Claire away.

Luke went to Noah Gray's side & helped him up. "I do believe he really is going to kill your grandfather," he whispered.

"We gotta stop him."

"I'll distract him," Luke lifted his hand & let the hot waves fly. Sylar yelped & stepped back a bit.

"Dad," Noah stood between his father & grandfather once more. "This fighting in our family has got to stop!"

"We're all on the same side," Luke tried.

"Shut up, Luke," Sylar snapped at him. "You can die remember?"

"Always with the death threats," Luke muttered. "We are all here for your son, Gabriel!"

"Exactly," Sylar said. "But not a single one of you is going to get him!"

"We're not here to take him," Luke said. His eyes surveyed his older brother. He saw the arm still raised in Noah Bennet's direction. Sylar was looking away from Luke, watching his son. Luke launched himself at Sylar's outstretched hand but it suddenly swung around to cut him down instead.

Whatever happened next, happened too fast for any one to know what came first.

Luke felt a cutting pain in his shoulder & he dropped to his knees to avoid the slicing power further. He heard a loud bang a moment after he heard Noah Gray's voice & Claire's scream.

"Dad no!"

Sylar spun around & hit the wall. Blood poured from his side for a moment. All eyes turned to Noah Gray, standing there, holding up a golden gun with both hands. It was smoking. Dead silence followed for over a minute, broken only by a small clicking sound as the bullet fell from Sylar's side while he healed.

"Noah!" Claire gasped. "What did you just DO?!"

"Aw hell no," Luke finally breathed as the shock slowly left him. He clutched his shoulder with one hand. The wound was superficial but it hurt & unlike Sylar's, his was still bleeding. Noah had just shot his own father!

"Well well Noah," Sylar finally spoke in an almost purring voice. "You just lost yourself a lover."

"I'll deal with that later," Noah said, letting a single tear escape. "Right now I'm trying to gain my entire family back."

Sylar leaned back against the wall. "Oh is that all you're trying to do?"

'Dad, you almost just lost control twice today," Noah went on. "You've also just threatened Jason. Again. Don't think I didn't notice all the other subtleties concerning Jason's mortal life, yet you told me you won't kill him or anyone else besides Peter. You promised!"

"Gabriel, you're turning your own son against you," Noah Bennet said.

"I am NOT turning against him!" Noah kept his tearful eyes on his father, still clutching the gun. "I just want him to calm down. I don't want anyone dying today! I can shoot him all I like anyway. He can't die. Who cares?"

"Thanks, Noah," Sylar muttered.

"You're getting rusty Gabriel," Luke said. "Usually you catch the bullets & fling them back. You really are an old man now."

"Shut up Luke," Sylar ordered for the second time.

"Did I lie?" Luke asked. Sylar wisely didn't answer. Luke had outgrown that stage a long time ago.

Sylar shared a look with Claire. "Brothers!" He complained. "You should know. You have three." Claire slightly rolled her eyes before turning to Noah still brandishing the gun.

"Noah," Claire slowly moved forward. "Put the gun down! You don't want to turn into a killer."

"Oh right, like how literally every single one of my family are all murderers?" Noah snapped. "I'm amazed I haven't started yet."

"Gabriel took you away from all that," said Noah Bennet. "He did right by you."

"Did I?" Sylar returned. "He's right. We are all killers. Noah's the only one with any sense to make it legal by joining the military. He'll be a patriot instead of a murderer like the rest of us!" Noah was about to say something but he looked beyond his father at someone else who had just let themselves in.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Sylar didn't even have to look to know who it was. "I'd recognize that voice out of the depths of hell if I had to!" He whirled around. "PETER!"

"_S'Emek (Fuck)!" _Noah swore loudly in Hebrew, slapping one hand to his forehead in surprise for a moment.

In that moment, the gun was ripped from his hands. Sylar snatched it & shot Peter in the chest. "How DARE you come into my house?!" Sylar forgot about everyone else. Peter dived into the hall as Sylar shot at him some more until the gun was emptied. Three more bullets penetrated Peter, two in the back & one in the shoulder. His regen soon pushed them out.

Noah stood there, shaking hands still held high in the air, muttering in Hebrew. Claire put one arm around him. "It's okay. It's alright! Let's get my Dad & Luke out of here while Sylar's distracted."

Noah looked at her. "Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse!" He panted. "Why the hell is Uncle Peter here?"

"I don't know," Claire said.

"But he has Claire's power," Noah Bennet stood up. "He should be alright for a bit. Luke? Let's get out now! How did you get here?"

"I hired a driver," Luke said.

"Same here," Noah Bennet replied.

"Am I the only one around here who knows how to rent cars?" Claire asked in exasperation. "I parked mine on the side of the road." She tossed the keys to her father. "You & Luke get out of here."

"You're coming with me."

"No," Claire replied. "I can't die. I'll help Noah try to stop those two from tearing the place apart."

By now, Sylar & Peter were outside on the grass. Sylar had Peter down, punching every inch he could reach. With a yell of rage, Sylar slammed one fist under Peter's jaw in a hard uppercut, shattering it for a while. Peter put both hands into Sylar's hair & rolled them over. Blood flew from both of them as the regen barely had time to heal one wound on each other before they opened up more.

"But you're trying to kill Peter too," Noah Gray pointed out. "I kind of don't want you here right now."

Claire stared at him. "I...no, I won't bother with Peter right now. It's more important to get your father to calm down before he reverts back to his past self."

"I can drive her to the airport in my car later," Noah told his grandfather as they went outside. "Now both of you get out of here!"

Noah Bennet nodded & hurried down the driveway on the side of the property towards the car, with Luke close behind. Claire was already starting towards Peter & Sylar to try separating them but by now, the two arch enemies had resorted to abilities & Sylar had a lot of surprises in store for Peter. They both shot up to the sky, exchanging fire, electricity & ice before crashing down in a ball of nuclear fire power right through the garage.

Noah blinked. "That's another car Dad owes me." He watched the fiery mess collapse over his car & Sylar's motorbike still inside. The whole thing exploded as the fighting pair rose up once more & streaked away in the air, still fighting furiously. "Oh no! They over Haifa!"

"We've got to find a way to stop them," Claire said.

Noah thought hard, watching the display of powers in the sky. It was so vibrant between them that they were starting to cause clouds around them. "I have an idea, but I'm going to need some help."

Peter broke away from Sylar & flew upwards before spinning quickly to drop long ice shards into Sylar, encasing him in ice. It shattered around Sylar & bits of ice sprinkled down to the dry, thirsty desert.

Sylar slammed into Peter as one shard of ice went through him. He hung on, absorbing that ability & then pulled away, flying higher. He dropped his own sharper icicles down. Peter spun sideways to avoid getting speared. Sylar then used his fire to melt the long icicle still sticking in him, then dived once more for Peter. He grabbed on by force & threw Peter down.

They crashed through the streets of Haifa, neither carrying about exposing abilities any more. Neither watched where they were going. The world no longer existed to them. The only thing that mattered was their hate for each other & causing the other as much pain as possible.

Sylar twice tapped the right toe of his boot on the ground then jumped upwards. He flipped back & forth a few times, kicking down arcs of energy before landing on all fours for a moment. He then spun in a backflip & the combined arcs merged & shot down the street, clearing everything in its path. Peter's eyes went wide as he was caught up in it & found himself being tossed back as if trapped on a wave.

He came to rest in a parking lot & slowly picked himself up. Looking around, he couldn't see Sylar anywhere. Suddenly, he was picked up & thrown into the curb, smashing his face & hands on the edge. He held his injuries protectively while they healed. Something picked him up again & threw him sideways. Peter had no time to heal. He jumped up & ran into a narrow alley. Looking back he could see a large eagle, screaming in anger & flapping its wings. It lifted up & circled the area. Peter pulled out his phone, took a picture then asked Google to search for the creature. It was a Harpy eagle.

"Google, are Harpy eagles native to Israel?"

"Negative. They are native to Central America. Also known as Royal eagles or—"

"Google end search," Peter said. "That's Sylar!"

"Sylar is an alias of Gabriel Gray, a known serial killer in the United States. Whereabouts are currently unkn—"

"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!" Peter snapped the phone shut & put it away. He ran down the alley into the next street. The eagle circled once more, then folded its wings & began to dive. Peter flew up to meet him. Having a bit more sense & morality than Sylar, Peter knew they had to keep the fight out of the cities. He moved higher & towards the open desert land, leading the bird away before allowing it to get close enough to grab him.

The talons dug into him, one piercing through his ribs. The pain made it almost impossible to think. Peter used the energy arc power to pushing himself away, having absorbed it from Sylar. He wasn't able to complete the full attack & wasn't really planning to anyway. He just needed to get his body off that sharp talon & heal.

He resorted to an offensive, letting loose several abilities at once to push Sylar back. Peter needed a chance to heal. Sylar caught the attacks with his own force power, sending back sheets of ice, meeting fire with fire & throwing out a few of his own powers as well. The mix of heat & cold started to form clouds around them.

They moved in close, fighting in hand to hand combat while still in the air, using the flight ability both had absorbed from Nathan years ago. Both bled enough to cause puddles of red to form on the desert sand far below. The next moment, they were springing away from each other to have room to hurl more powers across the sky.

Peter raised one hand & flicked his fingers upwards, pulling rods of light from the ground. They came up around Sylar & exploded one after the other, knocking him down a little. Peter swooped higher & performed the ability again in quick succession, making it stronger than before. Now the rods pierced through Sylar before exploding, ripping Sylar's body apart. Sylar plummeted for a bit until the regen kicked in before zooming back towards Peter.

Again, they came together for another round of physical contact as they pounded each other, before moving back for another volley of powers. They did that several times as they zoomed back & forth over Israeli skies, causing the clouds to darken & eventually rain over most of Israel.

They came together once more, flying into each other. Like a meteor, they dropped from the sky while they grappled with each other. Sylar activated his flight ability but Peter hung on. Both dropped into Jerusalem & slammed through the entire length of the Via Dolorosa, ripping it up from the ground from one end to another, sending pilgrims scattering like sheep without a shepherd. The path went right through the Damascus Gate & took out half the bus station situated there as well. They landed in a heap in the garden with Sylar on top. He punched Peter again before suddenly realizing where they are.

"Perfect," Sylar complained. "We probably pissed off every single Abrahamic religion right about now." He got up, holding Peter by his force power clutching the throat. Peter gasped for air & tried to pull the invisible feeling of a hand away. "Do you know what this place is called today?" Sylar asked as he slowly circled Peter. "Skull Hill." Peter managed to move his head to look at the rock face that resembled a skull. "A lot of legends about what went on here about two thousand years ago."

"...Oh no..." Peter murmured to himself, recognizing Golgotha & the small Catholic chapel sitting on top. He had a feeling of what Sylar was going to do to him.

"Oh yes," Sylar purred. He flicked up his fingers. The telekinetic force lifted Peter up & slammed him into the cliff several feet away from Sylar. With his free hand, Sylar cracked part of a large boulder off into pieces & hurled the spikes at Peter, partially crucifying him at last after so many years of waiting to return the favor.

Peter screamed in pain as he tried to focus on his own force. He switched from trying to fight Sylar off, to pulling out the stone spikes from his wrists. One spun off & struck Sylar in the shoulder. He fell back from the blow which gave Peter time to unhook his other hand. "Come get me!" Peter shot to the air, leading Sylar away. They disappeared into the clouds once more, fighting furiously. Sylar pulled the clouds around him & let loose a wave that crashed over Peter, pushing him back before spilling to the hot sand far below.

Their battle was so intense that even warring factions stopped to gaze up at the darkening sky, exploding in various colors of physical phenomena, streaks of light & sound; or bow down to the ground in fearful prayers.

Peter pulled away & was able to get the full energy arc out but Sylar did the same thing & the two powers collided with a crash between them.

The energy from their abilities was beginning to excite the Iron Dome & it twisted back & forth between them, perceiving both as a possible threat but not understanding what was happening. Sylar grinned wickedly as he shot a ball of nuclear power at Peter. It had the desired effect. The Iron Dome latched on to the nuclear strike & let off its first volley at Peter. Recognizing the sound of the Dome as it picked a target & prepared to launch, Sylar flew back to avoid the interceptor missiles. Peter fell for the trap, moving forward after Sylar.

Peter's eyes went wide as one missile shot up between them while another landed squarely in his chest. He dived to avoid it but the thing exploded in an instant. He didn't remember hitting the ground. He could feel only half his body while the other half had to rebuild itself. He knew he would be fine, but it hurt being half a body. His only hope was that he would heal enough before Sylar found him. It was a slow process & that first large gasp of air felt both fantastic & excruciating & at the same time, it did little for him since it was hot, muggy & sandy. He rolled over in his own blood, choking as rain poured down. He got to his knees just as Sylar landed in front of him. Peter wearily looked up at him. Sylar just grinned, holding up both hands & in an instant, his palms glowed blue with electric balls. Peter stood up, then wished he hadn't as he realized why Sylar was holding back & smiling at him. Apart from half a jacket, Peter was now dressing in nothing but his birthday suit.

"Damn it," Peter dropped to his knees again.

"You're out of your league Petrelli!" Sylar taunted. "I knew the Iron Dome was revving up."

"The Iron Dome?"

"You don't even know?" Sylar raised a brow. "Israel protects herself! They're prepared for anything. We've pushed the war back just behind the borders. It's mostly in the Golan Heights now. You're fighting in the Holy Land, Peter!" He tossed one of the blue balls into the puddle of blood & water.

Peter yelped at the jolts going through his half-new body. "Come on Sylar!" He tried to hold his half-jacket better around himself, shooting a short glare at the slightly torn black jeans Sylar still had. "Can you at least wait until I figure out how to get dressed?"

"I don't care!" Sylar threw his own shirt aside, ripped up by Peter's ice, then slammed his body into Peter & both went rolling in the sand. Sylar landed on top. "I've missed you Peter." He punched Peter hard across the face. "I can't kill you right now, but I can bury you." He grabbed Peter by the hair & yanked him forward so that he was sitting up under Sylar.

Peter reached out to put his hands around Sylar's throat. "I'd like to see you try!" He snarled a moment before he disappeared.

Sylar blinked & felt around. But he couldn't even feel Peter. "What did you do?" He demanded harshly as he pounded around in the sand with both fists. Even invisible, he should be able to at least feel Peter under him, but it was empty space. He was alone save for a few scarab beetles scuttling away in the sand. He stood up, turning around to look in all directions. "Where are you?" But he was alone, suddenly & inexplicably. He began moving forward, systematically scanning for his prey, but he only succeeded in annoying the beetles who buzzed off.

No, wait. Only one took off. The others didn't care. Sylar understood too late what had happened. Letting out a scream of rage, he shifted to his Kestral & lifted up on the currents under his wings. On one side, he could see a large expanse of water, the Mediterranean. On the other side & slightly below him, he could see the Sea of Galilee. The beetle had flown in that direction so Sylar dived after it.

Sylar landed on the outskirts of Tiberias, the closest city from where he had last pinned Peter for such a sweet moment. He walked into the streets, knowing Peter was probably headed here as well most likely looking for a fresh change of clothes.

"Rabbi Gray, what are you doing here?"

Sylar whirled around. "Yacov? Nothing, not yet."

"Peter Petrelli is here in Israel," Yacov said. "That can't be nothing to you. I know your history with him. You two made quite a mess in Haifa & now these electric storms all over the country. Everyone's out looking for either one of you."

Sylar looked down the street towards a group of Arabian horses. "Peter came into my home outside of Haifa."

"Where is he now?"

"I'm looking for him."

Yacov slowly moved towards Sylar. "You brought him here?"

Sylar turned sharply to him, pinning him against the wall with his force power. "He came here on his own to get away from me!"

"Gabriel, let go please."

"Have you seen Peter?" Sylar ignored him.

"No," Yacov answered. "Now let go, or you'll wish you had."

Sylar stared at him. "You're threatening ME?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Yacov let his own power loose. The air warbled & Sylar's invisible force grip shifted from Yacov to a car without his consent. Yacov kept his distortion wave up. So long as he could keep Sylar in its wake, he would be safe. "Gabriel, let me help you with Peter," Yacov said softly. "You can't continue to fight him like this. Haifa is damaged because of the two of you. I'm not even going to get into the mess you made in the holy grounds around Jerusalem. I won't let either of you rip up Tiberias as well."

Sylar moved back. "Stay away from me Yacov. I don't want to hurt you but I can't make any promises right now. Not with Peter here." He turned & ran down the street away from the wave so his powers could right themselves.

"Gabriel!" Yacov ran after him.

Peter landed on the sleeve of a shirt hanging on the line. After a careful look around, he shifted from a scarab beetle back to himself & nicked a few of the clothes. "Sorry to whoever owns them. I'll bring them back later. What is this anyway?" He held up some sort of white clothing he didn't know was called a kittel. "Might as well look the part." It took a while but he was soon wearing the white kittel over simple jeans & a shirt.

Peter hurried out into the street. Some people slightly bowed to him as he passed, a few even murmured 'rabbi' to him. Peter let them go. "Uh mazel tov," he said under breath. It was about the only Hebrew he knew. He suddenly looked wildly around as he heard someone call out Sylar's christian name. He saw a man running towards him. "Hey!" Peter stepped into the man's path.

"Sorry, Sir," Yacov pulled away & slightly bowed. "I'm looking for a friend of mine."

"Have you seen Sylar?"

Yacov glanced over Peter. The striking scar on Peter's face clued Yacov in. His first thought was why the hell was Peter wearing a sacred garment but he had bigger things to worry about right now. "You're Peter Petrelli, aren't you?"

"Yes I am," Peter admitted. "Now where's Sylar?"

"I don't know," Yacov said. "But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." he turned to leave.

Peter grabbed his arm. "It isn't what you think."

"You're here to kill him."

"No," Peter said. "Believe it or not, I'm here to help him."

"You've been fighting him all over the country today!"

"Mostly defence," Peter said. "I don't want him dead."

"I find that hard to believe," Yacov retorted. "Everyone knows the hate between you two."

"Well yes & no," Peter said. "If he isn't a father, I would kill him. But since he has a son, I don't want him dead."

Yacov stopped struggling to get away. "You know about his son?"

"This might be hard for you to believe," Peter began. "But I met his son in a different timeline & there, Gabriel & I were friends."

"I have magic," Yacov said. "I used to have my own Kabbalist group. You Americans call it abilities. I don't find it hard for you to be in a different timeline. But you & Gabriel being friends?" Yacov paused before stating matter-of-factly, "Bullshit!" He wrenched away at last.

"I'm trying to get him to calm down but he just wants to kill me here," Peter said. "I came to Israel to check up on Noah. I didn't plan to go into the house but I heard a gun go off & I saw Noah with a gun through the window. So I went in & well, everyone knows what happened next."

"Noah Gray is in the military for two years," Yacov said as they walked past the group of horses milling about. "You should go back to America. Gabriel needs to calm down. WHOA! EASY!"

One black Arabian stallion had reared up, neighing wildly. It lunged forward, squealing in anger as it bit Peter on the arm. Peter clutched the bite. "That's no stallion. That's Sylar!"

"How do you know?"

"Well it hates me for one," Peter said. "But I can see it is an ability. It's him alright!"

The stallion lurched again, breaking part of the fence in an attempt to get out. Yacov pulled Peter back. "Peter, run away. You shouldn't fight him here. GO!" Peter nodded & took off into the air. Yacov turned to the horse, stomping its hooves to make the hole wider. "Easy Rabbi! Easy!" He turned his wave on Sylar so he could not shift back or use his other powers so easily. Sylar resorted to using brute strength to bust out of the pen. Yacov could throw off his powers, but he could not stop a large animal from simply charging him down. Sylar plowed on through & ran after Peter. He galloped through the city, ending up on the shores of Galilee. He paused for a drink since this sea was fresh water.

Peter landed a ways from him. "Give it up Sylar!"

Sylar turned around to face him. He stamped all four hooves into the sand before rearing up, engulfed in flames. Lunging forward on his front hooves, he sent the flames forward in a ridge of heat. Peter flew to the air to get over it. He landed & shifted to a reddish brown Arabian before charging into the black one. Both rolled over into the water. They stood up in the shallows as men, gasping for air. Sylar took advantage of Peter's moment of inattention & jumped on him. They scuffled in the shallow waves for a bit. Sylar pinned Peter to the shoreline, letting the waves crash over his head. Peter struggled to breathe & was unable to fight Sylar off any longer.

"I'm going to kill you Peter!" Sylar snarled in his ear. He let the next wave come & go. "Not now, but in five thousand years. I need you for something. But in the meantime," Another wave lapped in & out. "I'm going to bury you. Shove something into that spot & take you out for now." He sunk his fingers into Peter's hair & raised his free hand, holding a small knife. He was in the process of bringing it down to plunge into the back of Peter's neck, when suddenly, his grip loosened from Peter's hair, the knife dropped & he keeled over.

Peter wriggled free from Sylar's wet weight partially lying on him & slowly sat up in the waves. "Sylar?" He leaned over for a better look. Sylar's eyes were half closed & glazed over & he had a wound in his chest. It was plugged with something so it couldn't heal just yet. Peter gave him a shove but he didn't move.

Sylar seemed dead.


	26. Chapter 26

**(26) Left Behind**

"What are you going to do?" Claire asked.

"Well first I need a car," Noah shot a dark glare at the burning garage. Thank any God it wasn't attached to the house. "Also that needs to be put out."

Claire handed over her phone. "Use mine."

Noah called the fire department first, then held the phone in his hand for a moment. "They should be here soon."

"Isn't Haifa over an hour away?"

"Almost two hours," Noah said. "We're closer to it than Jerusalem. But it's okay. There's a firehouse out here in the country. You can hear them coming now."

"Alright, what next?"

"I need Jason."

"So call him then."

"No," Noah held the phone up. "If I contact him before my nineteenth birthday, he'll get his memories of me wiped. He can't heal."

"Is René here?" Claire asked in surprise. "Tall black Haitian guy?"

"You know him?" Noah exclaimed. "He's been working for my Dad for years. Usually babysitting Jason & I. It was so annoying at first but I know now why Dad didn't want us snooping around on the internet. He didn't want us finding out about him any time soon."

"Let me deal with René," Claire took her phone back for a moment. "Then you can call your boyfriend."

"Alright," Noah gave her the Haitian's phone number.

The firetruck appeared in the meantime. Noah left Claire for a bit to go deal with them. On his way back to her, he nearly got run over. Someone had sped up the driveway & swerved to miss him. The passenger door opened. It was Jason.

"Get in!" Jason said.

"Should I?"

"René knows," Jason started. "He said we can have this day, considering what's going on. There aren't that many people who can face your Dad or Peter & live to tell the tale. If anyone can stop them, it's you."

Noah ran forward & threw himself into Jason's lap, kissing him hard. After breaking apart, he moved over to the other seat. "Mom, get in the back."

"Your mother's here?" Jason looked around.

"So is Uncle Luke & my grandfather," Noah said.

Claire got into the back seat. "René had already sent Jason here the moment he heard that my Dad was in Israel."

"I headed straight here," said Jason, pulling out of the driveway.

"That's why you got here so fast," said Noah. "Don't go to Haifa."

"But they're destroying it."

"Go to the base, Jason," Noah ordered. "There's nothing we can do in the city. It's too crowded. Besides, judging by those clouds of energy, I think they are moving towards the desert plains anyway. I hope so. I need Dad out in the open."

"What are you going to do?" Claire asked.

"Dad needs to be distracted so Peter can get him down," Noah said. "After that, I'm not sure what to do. Dad needs to calm down but those two aren't exactly friends."

"Would a sedative work?" Jason joked.

"Yes actually," Claire answered. "The drugs need to be a constant stream from an IV unit but it would weaken someone like us. However, we've tried that on Sylar on more than one occasion. It works, but his telekinetic power is very strong & he is very persistent. He'll spend literal days slowly turning the taps off if he has to."

"Like father, like son," Jason teased. "Noah can be like that when he wants to be." He smiled as Noah scowled at him. "He's such a cute little strawberry when he blushes like that!"

"JASON!" Claire & Noah both yelped. Jason just laughed harder.

Noah didn't speak again until they neared the base. "Get ready to bolt," He said as he got out. "I'll be right back."

"Ohh what's that guy upto now?" Jason moaned as he watched Noah skirt around the edges & climbed into a window. A few moments later, Noah came back out the window, dressed in uniform & carrying something really long inside a bag. Jason had an ominous feeling. "What's in that bag?"

"You'll know soon enough," Noah said, putting the thing into the trunk. "Now follow the crazy weather patterns."

"That better not be what I think it is," Jason complained as he drove away down the road.

"Just get me to them," Noah insisted. As they headed out into the plains, Noah turned to the back a bit. "Let me deal with Dad. Once I distract him, we need to separate him from Peter."

"How?" Claire asked. She pointed to the energy clashes in the sky. "That is years & years worth of pent up frustration! Getting them to stop is next to impossible."

"Take Dad out for a short date, like coffee or something," Noah said. "That'll give him something to think about."

"Whoa!" Claire put up a hand. "That is not happening for five thousand years. I don't like him either right now, remember?"

"Well it's either that or my entire country gets torn to shreds if they continue!" Noah snapped. "We've spent years in battle, longer than any of us were even born. Israel is only starting to know some peace now thanks to the intel Dad found but we are still fighting. If those two battle it out much longer, they could damage Israel enough to let the terrorists back in! So what's it going to be Mom? Your ego or the death of a country?"

"Told you," Jason said.

"It's just to get rid of Dad so Peter can go home," Noah went on, ignoring Jason.

"Noah!" Claire buried her face in her hands for a moment. "How do you even plan on getting them to stop fighting?"

Noah didn't answer but Jason kept shooting him glares. "Are you really planning to do that?" Jason finally asked.

"Do what?" Noah asked innocently.

"Don't mess with me right now!"

Noah leaned forward to look up at the sky better. "Where'd they go?"

They continued in silence for a while as all three of them kept glancing at the sky to find any tell-tale signs of a super-powered fight. There was suddenly a bright flash of fire on Galilee's shores. Jason sped up in that direction.

"Go there," Noah pointed to a tall building. Jason parked nearby & they got out. Noah opened the back & unzipped the bag. He leaned over for a bit & then pulled out his sniper rifle.

"I knew it!" Jason gasped. "You're not planning to shoot him are you?"

"Wouldn't be the first time today," Noah said as he headed for the glass doors of the hotel complex. He held up his badge & was soon let in. "I'm going to take care of them," He said in Hebrew. "I need to get high just in case they try to fly again." The manager nodded & showed the way to the stairs.

"What do you mean, it wouldn't be the first time?" Jason asked as they ran up the stairs.

"Noah shot Sylar back home," Claire said. "He was about to kill my Dad. It worked, but only for a moment."

"You shot your father?" Jason gasped. "And now you're going to do it again?"

"What's the big deal?" Noah shrugged. "He can't die. He can feel the pain & he needs time to heal. So I'm going to shoot him multiple times. Keep him distracted so Peter can get away. He'll be okay, don't worry."

"Yeah until he heals," Jason said. "He'll come after you, or worse, come after me."

"Then I'll blast him again," Noah shrugged as they stepped out onto a balcony. "Hmm, it's about three kilometers away."

"There's no way you can make that shot," Jason said. "Let alone more than once. You could hit Peter."

"That actually doesn't matter," Noah looked into the scope, watching them fight on the beach. "He can't die either. Now be quiet! I need to concentrate." He shut them both out & focused on what he was seeing. The conflict still raging between Peter & Sylar far below in the shallows was intense & it was hard to get a fix on either one of them. Suddenly, Sylar somehow got on top of Peter. He had raised something to stab his victim from behind. "Here goes nothing," Noah muttered, pulling the trigger. The bullet barely had time to leave the barrel before Noah already quickly set it to fire again.

"Did you get him?"

"Right in the chest," Noah said. "I'm going to fire another shot before he can heal enough to fight."

"Looks like Peter is still standing," Claire pointed.

"Uh Noah?" Jason glanced through the scope for a moment. "Your Dad's not getting up."

"He should be almost healed by now," Noah said.

"Peter is trying to move him," Jason said. "Look."

Noah watched through the scope. Peter was holding Sylar in his arms, shaking him, but his father's body hung limp & lifeless. "...Dad...?" Noah stared a moment longer before dashing through the room, into the hall & down the stairs, leaving the rifle behind. All he could think of right now was that his father wasn't moving. Something had gone horribly wrong.

He didn't care who he knocked over as he ran into the street. He tripped twice & tumbled down but was on his feet sprinting once more before anyone could even blink. Noah was running to the beach so fast, his breath was starting to sneak past the regen & hurt him but he didn't stop. All he wanted to do was get to his father.

Noah charged onto the beach & stampeded down the stretch of sand. "DAD!" He screamed out, ignoring the piercing pain of air in his burning lungs. "DAD NO! NO!" Peter turned to catch Noah in his arms. Noah was screaming in hysterics by now as he saw his father still lying as if dead in the waves. "What have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE? I thought he can't die!"

"Noah!"

"NO LET ME GO!" Noah fought hard against Peter.

"NOAH!" Peter shook his great-nephew. "Calm down!"

"I killed him!" Noah sobbed.

"You did this?" Peter glanced at Sylar. "How?"

"I just wanted you guys to stop," Noah gasped. "I shot him from a balcony back in the city. I thought it would distract him! Why is he dead?" He finally managed to pull away from Peter & dropped beside Sylar. He lay over Sylar's body, sobbing hard into his father's chest. "You're not supposed to die! Did you lie about that too?"

"Noah!" Peter shouted at him. He put a hand on Noah's back. "I don't think he's quite dead."

Noah lifted his head to look into Sylar's face. He petted back the wet bangs. "What do you mean?" He gasped for breath. "Why won't he respond then?"

Peter knelt beside him. "Your parents & I have a weak spot remember? No one knows where Sylar's is anymore, just that he moved it. He said so a long time ago. Did he tell you where it is?"

"No," Noah placed one hand on his father's face, stroking the cheek with his finger tips. "Why won't you wake up?"

"I think you hit his spot," Peter said. "He won't die so long as René stays away from him. He'll be okay."

Noah turned to Peter. "Will he wake up?"

"As soon as I pull that bullet out of his heart," Peter said.

"Then do it!" Noah was crying again. "Don't let him die."

"I'll take care of him Noah," Peter said. "But you understand what he is, what he did, right? He can't stay here with you for a while. I have to take him in. Then I'll pull the bullet out. He'll live but he has a lot to answer for."

"This is all my fault," Noah leaned over Sylar once more. "Dad I'm sorry!" He sat back in the sand, sniffling. "Oh God what have I done?"

"Noah," Peter put a hand on Noah's head. "I promise you, he'll be okay. But I have to take him away for a bit, alright?"

Noah looked at his father still lying partly in the waves. "What am I supposed to do without him?"

"Aren't you getting married?" Peter pointed out.

"I'm grounded from Jason for a long time."

"Yeah I doubt all that is going to happen now," Peter said. "You're going to go on & live your own life for a bit now. Sylar won't come home for a while. You & Jason can get together now."

"Dad promised to buy our rings & pay for the wedding," Noah half-laughed.

"I'll make sure he gets the bill," Peter smiled for a moment. He pulled Noah up & held him close. "It'll be okay. I'll come check up on you sometimes. So will Luke." Peter looked around as two others came running up. "Claire can look you up too. You'll be fine."

"You & Claire are trying to kill each other," Noah said.

"I don't think that will happen any more," Peter said. "You helped me break the time-loop." He looked at Claire. "But you & I do have a lot to discuss!" Claire cast her eyes downward. Peter sent her a sharp look before backing a few paces to get close to Sylar. He bent down & put one hand on Sylar's arm before looking out over the Sea Of Galilee. "Never thought I'd see it. It's amazing He walked on these very waves so long ago." He watched the ancient water sparkle for a moment, not noticing that Noah had gotten close to him.

"Noah no!" Jason jumped forward at the precise moment Peter beamed away with Sylar.

They landed on the cement floor of a room with no window to the outside. It only had one window made of three glass panes one behind the other, facing a hallway. The other three walls were solid cement as were the floor & the ceiling. Peter tried to stand up but felt a weight on him. Looking around, he saw both Noah & Jason were right there next to him. "What are you doing?"

"I need to be with him," Noah said before turning to Jason. "What are YOU doing?"

"You think I'd let you go off by yourself?" Jason replied. "Claire & I put your rifle in the car before going to the beach. You're going to get in trouble with your commander for taking that thing off base without permission."

"I don't care," Noah skittered around Peter & knelt at his father's head, putting his hands on Sylar's face.

"Come on guys," Peter said. "I gotta bring you back."

"You will," Noah said. "But I need to see what you're going to do to him."

"Alright," Peter gave up. "Come with me." He led the pair out into the hall & up some stairs into a small office. Micah was sitting at the desk.

"Hi Noah," Micah looked around as they came in. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not sure yet," Noah answered.

"It's been a long day," said Peter.

"I know," Micah half-snapped at him. "What you & Sylar were doing in Israel got broadcasted every where. I watched the whole thing!"

"It was a long time in coming," Peter shrugged, not really caring. He turned to Noah & Jason. "You can see & hear everything here." He flicked on the computer to show screens from cameras filming the cell. "Stay here for now. I'll come get you later." He went back down, pausing to look through the main window which was higher up than the other two. Sylar was still knocked out. Peter went inside. "Okay you!" Peter lifted Sylar by the force power & moved him to the singular bed. He laid Sylar on it, then put one hand over the wound. He summoned the bullet out, then turned & ran up the stairs out of the cell. The large door banged shut & Peter locked it both by a bolt as well as a code. He pressed a second panel & the air in the cell became a misty white. Sylar gasped wildly a moment later. "Good," Peter muttered to himself. "Keep sucking that in."

Peter stood outside the cell & watched while Sylar took in a few unfortunate long breaths before slowly sitting up. First thing he did was check the wound. It was just finishing the healing. Second thing he did was try to stand but the gas in the chamber made him weak. He leaned back against the bed, then looked right at Peter.

"How long do you think you can keep me in here Peter?" He asked almost pleasantly as if this were a normal thing between them.

"As long as I have to," Peter said. "Notice you don't have any tube or IV around you? We learned the hard way, but we learned! Good luck turning that off."

Sylar crossed his arms. "You don't need it. I won't try to escape." There was a moment of silence while Peter processed that. Sylar prompted him. "Well, did I lie?"

"No," Peter said. "But coming from you, that doesn't mean anything. What are you scheming, old man?"

"As if I'd tell you." Sylar slowly got used to moving in the white plumes. "Where am I?"

"As if I'd tell you," Peter evenly returned.

They glared at each other for a long moment. Sylar eventually got bored with Peter & began slowly moving around the cell, dragging his fingertips along the walls & the lowest glass pane next to him. It was thick & would not be easy to punch through without his powers. But he didn't bother accessing any ability right now. The gas had gotten into his system, making him incoherent. It was hard enough just focusing to talk.

Sylar came close to the glass again & looked up at Peter. "What will America do with Noah?"

"Nothing. The Company hasn't existed for many years," Peter said. "You can thank Claire for that. She wrecked just about everything here. But even if it was still around, I would never hand over your son to them! Noah is safe & he's going to be home with Jason now."

"Home?" Sylar repeated.

"In Israel," Peter said. "Where he belongs."

Sylar considered it. Peter wasn't lying. "When I came back from the future, I ended up in New York. I left immediately so no one could take Noah away from me. People like you or Noah Bennet would love to get their hands on a son of mine. Study him. I guess I have Claire to thank after all, despite her betrayal of special people like us."

"Don't even get me started on what she did!" Peter punched the glass in front of him. "She ought to be in a cell right next to you but the problem is, a lot of what she did depends on which timeline we were all in. I know everything since I can travel through time. Some crimes Claire committed don't exist here. I don't even know where to start with her!"

"You be careful with my future wife, Peter," Sylar warned.

"Future wife?"

"You threw me ahead in time," Sylar said. "I ended up with her there. We had around two years together. Noah got born but then the planet explodes three months after."

"Ohh," Peter raised a brow as everything finally made sense. "I thought Noah was born here in this time."

"No," Sylar said. "He will be born five thousand years from now so you be careful with his mother. You could erase my son!"

"That is the last thing I want," Peter said. "Sylar, believe it or not, if you have a son, I'm on your side. I've seen you two before & I've been trying to get that life back."

"Us? The same side?" Sylar scoffed. "That will never happen!"

"But it did!" Peter insisted softly. "It does. Without your son, you are nothing more than a monster. The murderer of so many people, including my brother. I could never forgive you for that! But in that timeline, when I first unlocked this power we both have, I am the one who killed Nathan. But I saw you with that little boy. You were sane again. Had your birth power under control. You're that boy's whole universe & he is all yours. I've spent years searching for you."

"Just not five thousand years ahead where you dumped me," Sylar retorted.

"Gabriel I was wrong!" Peter's voice broke. His old physical disability showed up once more, as it was partly based on nervous energy which regen wouldn't pick up, making him stutter. "I-I...I'm s-sorry."

Sylar was surprised at both the apology & the use of his proper name. "Still have that stutter, do you?" He began. "Regen can't heal emotional problems."

"I-it comes & g-goes. I was...born this way," Peter shrugged, focusing hard to talk straight. "Sort of."

Sylar softly laughed. "I know the real story about how you got born."

"I highly doubt that."

"Oh but I do," Sylar insisted. "When Matt Parkman shoved Nathan's memories into my body & tried to suppress me. I have all of your dear brother's memories of you."

Peter glared at him. "Shut up, Gabriel!"

"Only my friends call me Gabriel," Sylar turned his back to Peter. "We aren't friends."

"We were in that window of time," Peter sighed. "I think I helped you keep Noah safe from something like a Company."

"Well that's not this timeline," Sylar walked away from the glass walls & sat on the edge of the bed before finally looking at Peter again. "I will kill you Peter, but not until after we save the planet from exploding. Regrettably, I apparently need your help. I'm going to get my wife back, reunite her with our son. Then I'll finish you."

"You really think you can keep hating for that long?" Peter asked.

"You can bet your life on it!"

"F-Five millennia is a l-long time," said Peter. He rested his forehead on the glass wall for a moment, trying to maintain control of his voice enough to not stammer again. "A lot can happen in just a few weeks. You & Noah are having a lot of problems lately, haven't you?"

Sylar raised his hand & pointed at Peter. "Don't you dare talk about my son!"

"But we have to," Peter said. "He's here. He jumped on me when I teleported out & Jason jumped on him. They're both here, upstairs."

"I thought you said he was in Israel?"

"No, I said he can stay home in Israel," Peter corrected. "I'm bringing them both back home to your house by the Mediterranean in a few minutes. But you're going to have to stay here for a bit."

"Just a bit," Sylar replied.

Peter watched him for a moment, feeling uneasy. Sylar was definitely planning something. "I know you've turned your life around. Your son is proof of it. It's your past you need to confront. I'll take care of you. I promised Noah & I'll watch over him while you're here. I won't let anyone take him."

Sylar rolled his eyes. "You really need to get over this idea of us being friends."

"We can be if you stop being such a stubborn asshole!" Peter finally lost it on Sylar, which made his lips go sideways. That movement momentarily affected his scar that went diagonally across his whole face. He curled his fists by his hips for a moment, forcing the old birth defect to right itself once more.

"You said it yourself," Sylar began, standing up & slowly advancing back to the glass barriers. "All you can see when you look at me is your brother's murderer. I am truly sorry for killing Nathan." He paused before adding, "It should have been you I put down. I slaughtered the wrong brother. I won't make that mistake twice."

"Why you!" Peter snarled. "I just—oh! How I hate you!"

"Not as much as I hate you!"

"I'll double it!" Peter thumped on the glass in frustration. He turned away & stormed off. He burst into the computer room a few moments later. "Freaking idiot! God, I hate that man!"

"You just gave him exactly what he wanted," Noah said. "He's laughing at you right now. He was goading you."

Peter glowered at the screen for a moment, watching Sylar all but kill himself laughing. "Keep laughing, old man," Peter snarled. "You'll suck in more of that gas." He turned away. "I'm going to get changed so I can return these clothes, then I'll take you both home."

"Can I go down there & talk to him?" Noah asked.

Peter slowly nodded. "This must be very weird for you, isn't it?"

"You have a gift for understatement," said Noah as he headed down stairs by himself. He found himself standing before the cell a moment later, staring in at his father.

Sylar moved along the glass pane closest to him, like a dolphin trapped in a tank, until he got as close to his son as possible & looked at Noah. "I really didn't want you to see me this way."

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," Noah said. "I thought you died." He took in a shaky breath before going on. "I didn't want this either Dad! Why is nothing going how I planned it lately?"

"What did you want?"

"Just to knock either of you off course before your fighting ripped Israel apart," Noah slid down to the floor & leaned back against the window he was next to. "I didn't want you locked up. Never even thought of that."

"Well you should have," Sylar snapped. "Especially with Peter around! You shot me again, didn't you?"

"I used my sniper rifle from a hotel back in Tiberias," Noah answered softly. He wiped his eyes but it was no use. "Dad I'm so sorry. Ohh! This was the worst holiday season ever & two weeks later, it's still all screwed up!" He wrapped his arms around his bent up legs & put his face into his knees, crying.

Sylar pressed the side of his face to the glass. "Noah."

Noah lifted his head for a moment. "Dad, you & Peter can manipulate time. Can we just go back & undo all this please?"

"That isn't how it works," Sylar said. "The events happened, there is no going back. We would just end up making copies of ourselves. Our future selves in the past with our past selves. Messing with time can have repercussions in the future as well."

"Then what good is that power?"

"Sometimes to watch an event, learn from it & if you go to the future to see it, then perhaps when you come back to normal time you can avoid it," Sylar said. "But to redo the past? Something that has happened as opposed to something that might? That is too dangerous. The future is not set in stone. The past is."

"Then I ask again, what good is that power?" Noah demanded. "'Cause we really need to go back to the start of Hanukkah last year & do it over."

"We can't," Sylar stated simply. He watched his son sitting on the floor outside his cell. Noah had his face on his knees again, shaking with sobs. "Noah?" Sylar tapped on his glass pane until Noah turned to kneel in front of him. "You need to go home."

"I'm going to get you out of here Dad."

"No," Sylar shook his head. "You have to go home. Marry Jason. Never mind our previous arrangement. It doesn't matter now. Forget about me for a little while."

"What about this next year?" Noah asked.

"You still have to redo Grade twelve & I've already signed you up for summer school for Grade two," Sylar said. "That's between you & the school if you want to graduate. Same goes for your commander."

"We were supposed to try working things out. I'm not converting this summer so I can have Christmas with you & another proper birthday since I screwed it all up this year."

"You didn't screw it up," Sylar said. "I did." He held up both hands. "I'm a killer Noah. There is so much blood on these hands even though I rarely touched my victims. All I have to do is raise a finger & they'll die."

"I know how you do it," Noah murmured, looking down at the cold cement floor. Cold as his father's black heart.

"I'm the one in the wrong, not you," Sylar said. "What you told Claire & I earlier, about punishing you & Jason for our crimes—"

"Dad I was wrong!"

"No you weren't," Sylar disagreed. "I was way too hard on you for simply sneaking off like that. I was afraid you'd hate me for my past crimes but I ended up making you hate me for how I treated you afterwards."

"I don't hate you," Noah said. "I'm very disappointed in you maybe, but I don't hate you."

"Either way," Sylar shrugged. "I'm no good to you right now. You need to go home." Noah began shaking his head but Sylar pressed on. "You need to leave me."

"No, no Dad!"

"Whoa whoa what is he doing now?" Micah sat straighter in his chair from the upper room level where he was watching Sylar on security camera. Peter came back in at that moment, dressed in his usual clothes that were mostly black. He carried the Jewish garments folded together in one hand. He stood next to Jason behind Micah as all watched the screen.

Sylar leaned back slightly, holding his breath. The regen cleared his mind long enough for him to strike the first pane with all his powers. It shattered. Sylar panted for a much needed breath which reduced his control for a moment.

"Dad?" Noah jumped back.

"Please!" Sylar begged. "Just GO!" He held his breath again barely long enough for the regen to clear his mind just so that he was able to let loose for a moment & shatter the second one. Noah moved away. "Go, now!"

There was only one glass pane between them now. Peter's hand moved to the mouse & he called up a screen. He put the cursor over the program to put in an extra dose of gas if Sylar dared try to break the last one.

"What are you waiting for?" Jason asked. "He's getting out!"

"No I don't think so," Peter said. "He's driving Noah away. Noah deserves better than to be here seeing his father like this & Sylar knows it. I put up extra windows in case he did try to break out. But that isn't what Sylar is doing. Besides, the cage is hanging free over an underwater lake several miles under the ground. He has a lot to go through to get out even if he does bust out of his cell."

Noah came into Peter's office a few moments later. "He doesn't want me here."

"In spite of everything, he is a good father," Peter said. "I've seen it before. Sylar's right. You should go home. I'll take care of him, don't worry."

"You hate him."

"Yeah so?" Peter laughed. "Your Dad & I go way back. But I don't hate you, alright? I'll watch him for you & ONLY you!" He clicked on the program & Sylar dropped like a deer shot dead by a hunter. "Oops," Peter smiled. "Don't worry, he's fine," He waved at the computer screen as Noah glared indignantly at him. "I'm sure he'll pay me back for that later. We'll go secure him so Micah can watch him in peace, then I'll take you both home." Micah was already half way down the stairs & Peter hurried out after him, leaving Jason & Noah alone at last.

"I have to admit, that was kind of funny," Jason remarked.

"Jason," Noah whined.

"Well!" Jason held up his hands before grabbing Noah's head & kissing him. Noah shoved him away. Next moment, he had pounced on Jason, pressing him into the wall, kissing him right back.

"Let's strap him to the bed until we can get this glass cleared & replaced," said Micah once he had shut the gas off. "Hurry before he wakes up." Peter used the force power to lift Sylar onto the bed & Micah clamped the binds firmly in place. "Why did you bring Noah here?"

"It wasn't by choice," Peter shrugged. "He grabbed me as I teleported out."

"He is really attached to his father."

"The bond between this father & his son is exceptionally strong," said Peter. "I've seen it before when I met them in that other timeline."

They sealed the door once more & Micah turned on the misty flow. The white swirls wafted upwards as Sylar suddenly woke up only to find himself strapped to the bed. Micah glanced at Peter as they went up the stairs. "Claire wasn't the only one getting worried about you jumping around in time. You really should have told us Sylar had a son somewhere."

"I didn't know if I could find him again," Peter defended.

They entered the office room. Micah went back to the desk as Peter took hold of Jason & Noah. He whisked them away to Tiberias, close to Jason's car. Claire was leaning next to it. Noah went up to her & grabbed both her hands as Peter disappeared once more.

"He's in prison now," Noah barely managed to say.

Claire pulled her hand up to Noah's face, wiping away some tears. "Your father is a very dangerous man," she said. "It's where he belongs."

"But he isn't really like that any more."

"Isn't he?" Claire glanced at Peter who had returned but no longer had the set of clothes he had been holding. "Look at how he reacted when Peter showed up. That encounter set him off. It's going to take some time for things to settle."

"Peter's a special case," Noah said.

"I'm standing right here," Peter pointed out in a mock pout.

"So you are," Noah managed a small laugh. He opened the passenger door as Jason got into the driver's side. "It's just really strange going home but Dad won't be there."

Peter put one arm around him. "I'll drop by some times, okay?" Noah nodded silently as he sat down. Peter turned to Claire & held out a hand. "As for you," He glared at her. "We need to have a really long talk. Let me take you home. Your Dad & Luke are already on the plane back."

Noah had his window down by now. "You should listen to him Mom. Things aren't always what they appear to be. I mean, just look at how my life turned out lately."

Claire slowly grabbed Peter's hand. "It's still strange, being called Mom, especially knowing who your father is."

"Yeah I don't blame you," Noah said. "Maybe after all this settles down a bit, we can see each other later."

"Maybe some day," Claire said. "It's a lot to get used to."

"I know," Noah said. He watched Claire disappear with Peter.

Jason turned the car towards home. It was another long silent drive. Noah had fallen asleep on the way & Jason had to shake him awake when they pulled up to the base. Noah didn't bother to hide this time. He brought the rifle right into the command center & handed it over to Tohar. He explained his reason why & expected to be thrown out.

"There isn't much I can do to you," Tohar said. "You're already restricted. Besides, what you did might have very well saved Israel for the time being."

"I guess so," Noah shrugged it off. After receiving the next schedule, he got back in the car.

It was dark by the time they got to Noah's home. Jason parked close to the blackened pile that was the garage. "What a mess!" He complained as he surveyed the damage. Noah's car & Sylar's Buell would never run again. He took a step towards the blackened building but Noah pulled him away.

"Let me go check it," Noah said. "I can heal. You can't."

"I doubt it can hurt me now."

"It's radioactive so yes it will," Noah said. "That's why I had to tell the firemen to be careful as well. Dad & Peter have nuclear power." He moved into the pile of rubble. The car & the bike were fused together. Half a wall was still standing & another wall with the side door was also standing but the burned door was twisted sideways, hanging on by one hinge. The cupboard where Sylar had kept his box of secrets was still there, set into the half wall still up. Noah was able to pry it open since the door was ripped open right down the middle. He tossed the two pieces aside, causing the wall to crumble. The shelf fell & the box slid to his feet. It was burned at the corners & slightly twisted from the heat of a nuclear bomb. He picked it up & headed for the house.

Jason followed Noah to the door. "I'm going to stay with you until Sunday. You don't have a car to get to school & if you miss any classes, you're really going to be screwed next year."

"What about your parents?" Noah the box under the swing on the porch to look at later & went inside with Jason.

"I told you, I don't care about my Dad any more," Jason reminded him. "I'll call Mom later."

Aviv came trotting down the hall. Noah picked him up. "I'm glad Mom couldn't keep him."

Jason patted the dog's head before stepping into the living room. "Want to spend the night watching slasher movies?"

"Hell no!" Noah shook his head wildly. "I grew up with a real life slasher. I'm never watching those movies again!"

"Thank G-d!" Jason exclaimed.

"Oh shut up."

"No I mean it," Jason laughed. "After a declaration like that, I'm half inclined to believe in Yeshua!"

Noah gasped in mock horror. "Sacrilegious!"

"I said HALF, Noah," Jason rolled his eyes.

Noah just shot him an evil grin, bringing out the more fatherly features he inherited from Sylar. "I'm going to feed Aviv, then I think we should just go to bed." Jason made it to the top of the stairs by the time Noah caught up with him. Noah hesitated before slowly opening his bedroom door.

"Whoa!" Jason glanced around the empty room. "You weren't kidding when you said he took everything out."

"Nope," Noah sighed dejectedly.

"I've only ever been in your room twice before now," Jason glanced at the mattress on the floor. "Man, your Dad was pissed!"

"I think he regrets it now," said Noah. "But it's too late. He got rid of the entire collection."

Jason lay back on the makeshift bed. "You really like collecting those things, don't you?"

Noah plopped down beside him. "I thought I'd outgrow them eventually, but I get it now. The obsession is inherited from my father. I just got lucky I went for plush instead of blood."

"Seriously?" Jason stared at him. "Are you sure?"

"It's like a bit of his birth power got into me," Noah said, lying back next to Jason. "Just not the killer instinct bit of it."

Jason put his free arm over Noah's side. "I'm glad you didn't. I've...had a few nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Of Rabbi Gray," Jason said. "What he did. Ever since I found out I can't get those images out of my head. He's so ...vicious!"

"At least you can wake up from them," Noah said. "I, however, have to live this nightmare."

"I hope it's at an end now," Jason pulled Noah a little closer. "He's where he belongs now. You know it."

"Mhm." Noah murmured, not trusting his voice.

Jason leaned over to quickly kiss Noah's forehead. "Just try to sleep. We're starting a whole new life tomorrow." He cuddled next to Noah, settling down to sleep himself.

But Noah moved a little to lie flat on his back. This caused Jason's hand to shift from Noah's hip to somewhere between his legs, causing him to gasp sharply. Jason was suddenly wide awake. He raised himself up on his other hand to look down at Noah. A long moment of not even breathing passed before Jason whispered. "Do you...want to try?"

Noah's heart was pounding. He could still feel Jason's other hand between his legs, resting on a slight bulge of his he suddenly had which was growing. Jason had yet to pull away. They had discussed this moment countless times but had never gotten the urge to just do it yet. But with everything that had just happened, what Noah really needed was a distraction, comfort & a need to feel safe again. All of which he could have with Jason. He put a hand up to run his fingers through Jason's short wavy brown hair. "Now is as good a time as any."

Jason suddenly curled his fingers in, grasping Noah firmly. Noah stiffened as his back came off the bed a little. He let out a short groan, partly from surprise, partly from the sudden rush. Jason moved his hand inside, keeping Noah going for a moment, then moved upward, pushing Noah's top up as he stroked his chest.

Noah sat up to get it off, then removed the pants. Jason already had his own top off & finished getting undressed while Noah stretched out on the bed once more. Jason soon joined him, lying partly on him. Noah put a hand on Jason's shoulder then moved to pet his back, taking it slow. They had seen each other naked countless times, but this would be different. They were about to go that one step further. Both needed time to mentally prepare for it.

It took almost two hours of caressing & fondling, but Noah was able to forget everything else for that one long moment. They rocked back & forth a few times, both vying for the upper hand. Noah eventually won out, another trait inherited from his sire. He left a trail of kisses going up Jason's spine before finally pressing down into him for the first time.

Jason matched Noah's drawn-out firm thrusts, slowly working his way inside. He guided Noah's free hand around his hips to take hold of his own length. They moved together as one for several minutes before finishing at the same time. Noah stayed within him for a moment, pressing his face between Jason's shoulder blades as they caught their breath. Noah soon rolled off & Jason cuddled up to his chest.

"So is that what all the fuss is about?" Jason suddenly asked.

Noah burst out laughing. "Can you believe some people do that three times a day for the rest of their lives?"

"It's a lot of work."

"Oh this from the one on the bottom!" Noah teased. Jason curled up in a ball, crying from laughing too hard. "You had it easy."

"STOP!" Jason yelped.

Noah pressed his hands to his eyes for a while. "That sounded better in my head."

"I bet it did," said Jason as he sat up. He looked down. "So it even feels a bit different when it's not cut."

Noah pushed himself up a little, leaning back on his hands. "Dad mentioned something about it." Jason cast Noah an awkward look. "He's got a point. Jason? How am I supposed to convert? I can't get circumcised."

"Why?" Jason smirked. "You scared?"

"No," Noah rolled his eyes. "I'll heal. Remember?"

"Right," Jason lay back again. "That's another reason I need to become a Rabbi. I would just say I did it. No one has to know any better."

"You gotta talk to your Dad," Noah stretched out beside Jason.

"Nope. Not happening."

Noah pressed his lips into Jason's shoulder for a moment. "I know, I know. Both our fathers are idiots."


	27. Chapter 27

**(27) Timeline Of Compromise**

Peter beamed to his small apartment, still holding on to Claire. He pulled her towards the window where a small table with two chairs were & pointed at them. "Sit down!" He commanded. Claire silently did so. Peter held out one hand. "Your gun. Give it to me."

Claire could feel the uncomfortable force power caressing her. She hated that feeling. It reminded her so much of her first encounter with Sylar the day he had come to her to take her power. She slowly pulled out her gun & handed it over. Peter took it with both hands. An orange glow appeared around them. Nuclear power. He melted the gun into a small hard lump & threw it on the table.

"So," Peter planted himself into the other chair across from Claire. "Shall we begin?"

Claire looked away, closing her eyes. "You think I enjoy this?" She finally asked.

"I don't know what to think about you anymore," Peter angrily corrected her. "What the hell happened to you? The Claire I knew would have never gone rogue. Villainous." Claire finally managed to look into her Uncle's eyes, but had nothing to say. Peter slapped the table top, making her jump. The metallic lump skipped across & fell off. "Damn it Claire! What did I ever do to you?"

"It isn't about what you did to me," Claire replied. "It's what you did. Period."

"What I did was go all through time trying to find Sylar's son," Peter said.

"You kept changing things on whatever quest you were doing," Claire said. "People died or got wiped from existence. You're the marked Villain, not me. I was sent to take you out."

"How did you even know I was messing around with time?"

"Hiro," Claire shrugged. "He can see through time as well. He saw you kill certain people. You killed Nathan. Not Sylar."

Peter shook his head. "Sylar killed Nathan in this timeline. Cut his throat."

"I know that," Claire said. "But we are talking about more than one timeline now, aren't we?"

"What else did Hiro see?" Peter asked.

"He said in the timeline you killed Nathan, I killed you," Claire said. "I was told to take you out before you killed anyone else. Hiro said I should stop you before you started changing timelines. But you're too quick & I can't move through time. I wouldn't know what you did without Hiro telling me. He said you had gone Villain in that timeline & then had come here to this one."

Peter shoved both hands through his hair. "So all this time, you thought I was a different Peter or something?"

"Did you kill my father in another timeline or not?"

"Oh NOW you ask me that?" Peter snapped at her. "After all these years? You should have come straight to me in the beginning! How dare you ask me that question now?"

"Just answer it."

Peter stared at her. He shook his head. "Yes but NOT as a Villain. It was an accident! God! Claire you should have come straight to me! Hiro only saw bits. He didn't get the whole story. That's the timeline I first saw Gabriel's son. The one when I thought Noah died as a small child. The one that started this whole mess when I came back here to this one & lost track of Noah Gray for years."

Claire stared at him. "You admit to killing Nathan anyway? After everything that has happened?"

"You know Sylar & I have the same power," Peter began. "We are both mimics. In the beginning, I barely understood what was happening to me. I'm more empathic than Sylar & I was soaking up abilities just by being near people. Didn't even have to touch them. Sylar is more about practicality & logic. Being the son of a watchmaker, he grew up learning to take things apart & fix them. That manifested in the ability but you can't take people apart & then fix them so in his case, death was the conclusion of his mimicry whenever he used it. But it made him better at abilities than I was since he could see them, not just feel them. By now, both of us can see & feel the abilities. The Aptitude has gotten strong over the years. But, I unlocked the logic of it that day in the other timeline when I first saw his son. That made me crazy for a bit & Nathan died because of it. I was too young & forced my power to develop before it was time. Just like how your other father forced Gabriel's power out before it was time. It never should have happened, for either of us."

"That power is pure evil!" Claire seethed. "No matter what, you & Sylar both killed Nathan. Not to mention so many others, particularly in Sylar's case."

"We got born with it," Peter said. "Noah Bennet should have left Gabriel alone. I didn't know any better either. The ability itself is not evil. Used correctly, it is an awesome thing. I could look into Emma while she was pregnant & watch Natalia develop from in the womb because of this power. It was amazing!"

Claire smiled for a moment. "How is Natalia?"

"She'd be better if it weren't for you," Peter retorted. "You killed her mother."

"I know," Claire replied, letting a few tears escape. "That was not my intention! The bullet ricocheted & hit her."

"She was pregnant again," Peter stated simply, silently enjoying Claire's gasp of shock. "Not even Sylar would ever kill a pregnant woman! You're worse than him."

"Peter I didn't know!" Claire gasped. "I never wanted to kill her. It was you I was after."

"Don't even think about turning your screw ups onto me!" Peter glared at her. He leaned back in the chair. Someone knocked on the door. Peter lifted a finger to unlock the door & open it by force.

Natalia came running in. "Dad, I've been trying to—OH MY GOD! What is she doing here?"

"She's starting to atone for all her crimes," Peter said. "What do you want?"

"I've been trying to call you," Natalia said, keeping her eyes firmly on Claire.

"I lost my phone in Israel."

"Yeah, Israel," Natalia glanced at her father. "About that. Was that really Sylar?"

"Yup."

"He's back?"

"Been back for years," Peter said. He took Natalia's hand & pulled her close enough to hold her with one arm. "We'll talk about that later."

"But are you alright?" Natalia asked. "I mean...Sylar! The horror stories you told me about that monster! How did he get back?"

"Picked up his own time travel ability from the future," said Peter. He patted the top of his daughter's hand for a moment. "Don't you start fussing over your old man now. Sylar & I go way back. I've fought him before."

"I have an ability," Natalia gasped in a hushed fear. "He could come for me! He could come for us all."

"He won't," Peter said.

"Did you catch him?" Natalia asked. Peter nodded. Natalia put both hands over her mouth. "He's HERE then? In New York?"

"Technically, he's under it," Peter half laughed as he stood up. "Micah needs a break. I better go check up on Sylar." He looked at Claire. "I'm not finished with you. What about we go out for some coffee later?"

"Dad are you crazy?"

"I have Sylar's ability, so yes," Peter sent her a lopsided smirk.

Natalia smacked his arm. "Stop that."

Peter just smiled wider, deliberately using his disability to his advantage to make him look cute like a pathetic puppy. "Look you should go home," he finally said. "I don't want you anywhere near Claire right now until some things get sorted."

"I don't want her anywhere near you either Dad," Natalia said. "She got Mom killed. She's as bad as Sylar."

"Oh believe me, I know," Peter said. "I can handle her. I'll get a new phone later & call you." He gave her a quick hug, then gently shoved her towards the door before turning to Claire. "Like I said..." He let it hang.

"I'll see you later," Claire made as if to leave.

Peter grabbed her arm with his hand. "Don't even think about trying anything. I'll know. I don't know what I'm going to do with you yet, but one thing at a time." He let her go. Once she left, he transported directly to the singular prison designed especially to contain Sylar.

Jason woke up first the next morning. It was barely dawn. Noah was still fast asleep beside him but Jason was used to getting up this early for morning prayers & going to the synagogue for Sabbath services. He pushed the blankets down, then took a moment to look Noah over. It was a strange feeling, knowing what they had just done to each other mere hours ago, looking over that physique now. It would probably be a while before they did that again. Jason kept his eyes mostly on Noah's face, attracted more to the intellectual mind than the handsome features bestowed to him by his father.

Jason slowly rolled out onto the floor to avoid waking Noah. He rolled right on to Aviv. A lot of barking ensued ending with a shriek from Jason after being nipped. Noah sat up & threw his pillow at Jason. "Keep it down!"

"Your stupid dog was on my side!" Jason threw the pillow back before picking up some clothes to get dressed.

Noah yawned wildly. "I don't care." He lay back, rolled over & went back to sleep.

Jason stood up, cast a glare at Noah's bare back as he finished dressing, then went out the door with Aviv following him. "Oh no you don't," Jason shoved the dog back into the bedroom. As he closed the door, Aviv slipped back out into the hall. "Fine, but I'm not feeding you." They both silently went down stairs.

Morning prayers was a hard chore when one was ignoring a hungry corgi. Jason ended up giving the dog a few cookies to get rid of it. He got his own breakfast after finding some cereal in one of the cupboards & sat at the table to eat. Halfway through, he wondered what to do next. He had never missed going to the synagogue for Sabbath before & he didn't like the feeling of skipping it now. But if he went, he'd run into his own father & that was something he liked even less. On top of it all, if he did decide to go, he would have to leave within the next ten minutes or so to make it on time.

Aviv yapped & trotted across the kitchen floor. Looking around, Jason saw Noah stumble in, still half asleep. "Aren't you allergic to mornings?" Jason teased.

"Your mom woke me up," Noah complained, handing over Jason's phone. He dropped into the nearest chair & put his head on the table.

"Hi mom," Jason said. "Noah's not too happy with you right now."

"You better be at the synagogue by the time we get there," Tirzah said.

"I don't want to see Dad."

"It's Sabbath!" Tirzah didn't care. "Get your ass over here now!"

"You do know I'm with Noah right?" Jason reminded her. "It's a long drive into town."

"Why don't you bring him along?" Tirzah said. "It would be nice to see him again after everything's that happened. He might help with your Dad as well."

"I dunno," Jason began petting Noah's hair. "Sleeping Beauty's still out of it." Noah stuck up an elegant slender middle finger & shook his head to get out of Jason's grasp.

"Throw him in the back of the car," Tirzah laughed.

Noah lifted his head. "I HEARD THAT!"

"Good," said Tirzah. "Now both of you get moving!"

"Fine. See you later," Jason hung up.

"Great now I have to go!" Noah grumbled.

"Well you're converting someday," Jason pointed out. "Get used to it."

Noah stretched as best possible in the chair. "What was that protestant faith Dad mentioned that kept Sabbath as well? Maybe I'll join them instead."

"Adventists," Jason said. "They still go to church in the morning. I think everyone does."

"Whose dumbassed idea was that anyway to have morning services?" Noah finally got up.

"Hurry up," Jason ordered. "We leave in five minutes. I'll take care of Aviv while you get changed."

Seven minutes later, they were amazingly in the car & on their way. Noah soon fell asleep for a bit but was wide awake by the time they reached Haifa. Jason parked farthest from the synagogue in a corner of the parking lot. Noah got out first & headed for the door, but waited for Jason to catch up. As soon as they entered, they tried to duck into seats near the door on the right, but Jason's father had been watching the door. He beckoned to them to come forward. Jason rolled his eyes as Noah moved ahead towards Tirzah.

"About time you showed up!" Tirzah whispered as they sat down. "Just wait until the service is over Jason." She shot her son a dark glare before turning to Noah. "You poor thing," she ran a hand through his hair. "How are you?"

"Dad's in prison now."

"I know," Tirzah wrapped an arm around him. "We'll talk later alright?"

"Mhm," Noah grunted before falling silent for the rest of the service. He understood it all, the Hebrew language, the Sabbath customs, but his first attendance barely registered in his mind. It had been a rough time since his trip to New York. The shock of it was finally wearing off. Noah had spent his first night at home alone. Sure Jason & Aviv were with him, but his father who he had been with nearly every single day of his life, had not been there. He wasn't even in the same country any more & would not come back for a while. Noah kept his eyes downward into his lap. The fact that he was the son of the most famous killer in the world seemed to be broadcasting from his mind & he felt all eyes were upon him now. Noah knew it was a ridiculous sentiment, or was it? Had they all known? Why didn't anyone else tell him? He barely responded when Tirzah tugged on his arm a few hours later.

"Come on Noah," Tirzah said. "Let's go get something to eat."

Noah slowly got up to follow her as Nehemiah came to join them. "I'll deal with you later, young man!" He brushed Jason aside & took hold of Noah. "I was hoping to see you again. You must have a lot of questions."

"Just one," Noah said. "Did you know?"

"About your father being Sylar?" Nehemiah began. "Yes Noah. We all know."

"But you never bothered to tell me," Noah looked away.

"It wasn't our place to tell you!" Tirzah exclaimed. "Gabriel had spoken to us a long time ago. Just after Ariel died. He said he was planning to tell you himself. He had it all planned out."

"That's when he told you he was Sylar?" Jason asked. "Like he was practising on you or something?"

"That's what he thought he was doing," Nehemiah answered. "But we knew the moment we first met him in the playground. As soon as he said his name. That's why I took you & your mother home. I went straight to Shlomo Gordon about Sylar being in Israel, with a child no less! But all he said was 'Good. About time.' He didn't explain why but it was almost like he had been expecting Sylar to show up. I knew both of them had very strong magic so I suspected it had something to do with that."

"You met him in a playground?" Noah asked.

"He was bringing you out," Tirzah said. "Jason was there as well but you would be too young to remember. We acted like we didn't recognize his name & just simply left."

"I'm amazed you didn't run," Noah half-laughed out of nerves.

"Never run from a predator, Noah," Nehemiah said. "It entices them to hunt."

"Also we were really confused about you as well," Tirzah added. "We didn't know anything about him having any children."

"I'm his first."

"We know that now," said Nehemiah. "I had gone to Shlomo, expecting him to take Sylar on & rescue you or something like that. But he said not to worry about it. He would take care of everything. He didn't tell us how he would do that."

"So when your father brought you to our preschool, Shlomo had told me to send him upstairs immediately," Tirzah went on. "I thought maybe then he would do something about Sylar. He did. He invited him in to his Kabbalist group!"

"We never expected Shlomo to do that," Nehemiah added. "I knew he was incredibly gifted but it wasn't until much later that I found out he had the same power your father had, mimicry, so he knew how to use that ability properly. He was probably the only one in the world who could fix your father. Well, that is until the two of you ruined it."

"If we had known..." Jason shook his head.

"It doesn't matter if you knew or not," Nehemiah said. "Noah's father said not to go to New York. You should not have brought Noah to New York! End of discussion."

"Dad's in jail now," said Noah. "Because of me. It's all my fault."

"You & Jason both," Nehemiah said, before finally turning on his son. "As for you, when we get home later tod—"

"I'm not coming home today."

"Oh yes you are."

"No," Jason replied stubbornly. "I'm not."

"Jason—"

"Nehemiah?" Tirzah stepped between them. "Not right now. Let me talk to him." Nehemiah glanced between his wife & son for a moment before looking at Noah. Both left to get some food, leaving Tirzah alone with Jason. "Come on Jason. You need to come home sooner or later."

"Tomorrow."

"I think it would be best if you come home today."

"I can't," Jason said. "Noah doesn't have a car so he needs a ride to school. Rabbi Gray is no longer here so we can't leave the dog home alone. We have to go back there. Noah can get a new car tomorrow after school. For now, if I leave, he'll be stranded & in even more trouble with the school."

"You're not supposed to be with Noah for a whole year," Tirzah said. "What if Gabriel finds out?"

"He already knows," Jason said. "I was there. So was Noah. We both jumped on Peter & ended up in the jail. Peter brought us back home later. But Rabbi Gray said it no longer mattered. In fact, he sort of drove Noah away. He doesn't want us seeing him like that. He told Noah to stay with me. I think he left something with René about that. Besides, after last night, no one can separate Noah & me any more." At that, he turned & walked away.

Tirzah took a moment to figure that out. "Hey wait! You guys aren't even married yet?"

"Who cares?" Jason called back over his shoulder. "We can't get pregnant. Leave me alone!" He stormed off. Tirzah held up both hands & muttered something in Hebrew before following. Jason came up to Noah, keeping on the other side of him, away from his father. "You okay?"

"What's the time difference between here & America?""

"Depends where."

"I'm guessing New York."

"Seven hours behind us then. Why?"

Noah had a piece of his shawarma before answering. "I wonder how Dad's doing in jail on the Sabbath?"

"I'm this close," Peter pressed his fingertips together. "To killing you, Sylar."

"I'd like to see you try."

Peter put his hands on his hips, sending Sylar the old 'pissed Petrelli' glare: the eye roll with a slight head tilt & hands on hips. "Why won't you eat that?"

"I can't."

"WHY?"

Sylar just grinned. "Pig, Peter. It's pig."

"So?"

"Israelites don't eat it," Sylar finally explained. "It's unclean."

"You're American, not Israelite!"

"I'm actually both," Sylar said. "Noah's just an Israeli despite being born in New York."

Peter put both hands over his face for a moment. "You're just trying to be difficult!"

"So what if I am?" Sylar was thoroughly enjoying himself. "I'm not eating it & that's final."

"If you keep it up Sylar, I'll make you work for your food!" Peter snapped.

"I can't work today."

Peter took a very long breath. "Why?"

"It's Sabbath," Sylar laughed at Peter's frustration. "Can't work, buy or sell."

"You're...kidding me, right?"

"Wrong."

"I'm not buying it, Sylar," Peter said. "I know you're raised Catholic like me. You KNOW the Lord's day is tomorrow!"

"Spare me the Catholic jargon," Sylar grinned as Peter glared. "You & I both know the real story about that, don't we, Peter? The Church changed the day, not the God."

"Are you seriously getting into a religious debate with me right now?"

"How else am I supposed to fight with you?" Sylar stated. "I'm stuck in here. A battle of words is all I can do at the moment & I'm bored."

"I'm not defending the Holy Church against the likes of you!" Peter snapped. "Besides, last I checked, you're an atheist!"

"Peter, you haven't seen me in almost twenty years," Sylar said. "A lot has happened. You have several of my powers, including the lie detector one now. Did I lie?" Peter just groaned & marched away without another word.

"I'm going out to get some coffee," Peter paused by the door of the computer room where Micah was. "Think you can handle him for a bit?"

"I'll be fine."

"What are you reading?" Peter noticed an open book on the desk.

"It's a Bible," Micah said. "I'm looking through Leviticus for all those Jewish rules so he can't surprise us with anything else."

"Good idea," said Peter as he turned away. "Wait, what's that sound?" Both listened for a moment before Peter glared at the computer screens. Sylar was sitting cross-legged on the floor, back towards them & looking up at the ceiling. "Oh God, he's singing!" Peter exclaimed. "In Hebrew!"

"Not a bad voice though," Micah admitted. "OW!"

Peter had smacked him over the head. "What is he singing?"

Micah pulled up a tab. "Sabbath morning prayers."

"I'm out!" Peter raised his hands in defeat as he marched away, ignoring Micah's laughter.

Peter cautiously stepped out into the street. It was weird being out in the open in New York City now. He no longer had to watch out for Claire but he still had to be wary of others with abilities who were causing riots. He slipped through the shadows into an alley & beamed away. Landing in Manhattan, Peter hurried into a small coffee shop to find Claire sitting by the window. He watched her for a while before slowly approaching her.

"I hate him," Peter said as he sat down across the table from her.

"Don't we all?" Claire said. "Now that you have him, what do you intend to do with him?"

"My original plan was to have Mohinder permanently neutralize Sylar's powers," said Peter. "Make him mortal & have him executed."

"So why don't you?"

"We have Noah to think about & the planet itself," Peter said. "Sylar & I both need our powers for that."

"Mohinder doesn't remember him, can you believe that?"

"Yes," Peter nodded. "I looked into that a while back. Maya was a transferred sub-teacher in Israel for a term in Noah's school. Pretty sure Sylar stuck our Haitian friend on her & Mohinder."

"He didn't want his son finding out."

"Nope," Peter leaned back in his chair & sighed. "That's quite a mess now. From what I've seen of Sylar having a son, they were extremely close. It's ruined right now."

"Sylar did it to himself," said Claire. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm thinking maybe we should keep Sylar in prison for a while," Peter said. "One year for every known victim he killed. It's a bit over a hundred & we can literally do it since we're all immortal."

"It's hard keeping him secured though," said Claire. "He always finds a way to break out."

"It will take him a long time figure out how this time," said Peter. "He can't access the gas flow. He has no clue where he is. But it's still something I worry about. I can just see him working it out whenever I look at him." He drank some coffee. "Then there's the matter of what to do with you."

"Me?"

"You're not much better than Sylar," Peter said. "If I count all the timelines I've been through, you ended up a worse Villain than he ever did. You're actually lucky it all ends in this timeline now that we have Noah back. But Sylar is right. You're a traitor. Why the hell did you jump?"

"I wanted to live out in the open."

"Was it worth it?" Peter asked quietly. "You destroyed everything. Your family. America. Us. We used to be so close. You're the only niece I have but I feel like I don't even know you any more & I still can't forgive you for Emma's death yet somehow I can finally forgive Sylar for Nathan's. That right there is a problem."

"I told you, Emma was an accident," Claire said. "I was aiming for you & are you really picking Sylar over me?"

"I've seen his redemption more than once," Peter flicked up a brow at Claire. "I've never seen yours. As for Emma, it doesn't matter if it was an accident. The truth is, you were going on a false lead. You thought I had assassinated the President but I wasn't even in America at the time. I was in India with Mohinder working on that drug to remove abilities so we could take Sylar down if we ever found him again. I have all the proof, but you didn't want to listen. The President back then got killed by people rioting & showing off their powers they bought without thinking of the consequences. If anything, you're the one to blame, not me."

"I was told you were messing around with a way to synthesize abilities better," Claire began. "A lab had exploded near that riot, killing several people. The survivors went into a frenzy. Several people said it was your lab & accused you of weaponizing the synthetic powers."

"It was my lab," Peter said. "For a time, but I had left a long time before that happened. Someone else must have taken over. Like I said, I was in India."

"People claim to have seen you there," Claire said. "People saw you kill the President."

Peter shifted to look like Jason, shrugged & returned to his own form. "Really, are you surprised?" He shook his head. "Sylar & I can both do it. Sylar got it off someone else. We can't be the only shapeshifters in the world, especially now that our generation has produced children. Who knows what's out there?" He finished his coffee. "None of this would have happened if you didn't jump off the Ferris Wheel, Claire. Emma is dead because of you. Nathan is dead because of Sylar but I can't time jump any more. Noah Gray is back. He was the one I had been looking for. I wish I had found the optimal timeline with all of us together but I can't risk losing Noah again. This is a timeline of compromise."

"You jumping around in time caused quite a mess!"

"It isn't entirely my fault," Peter countered. "I fooled around with timelines. You jumped. Sylar somehow managed to end up with his son but only after a few years of non-stop murder. It's us, Claire. All three of us. We're immortal. It's unnatural but here we are. Now Noah Gray is thrown into the mix, a fourth undying being & unlike the rest of us, he doesn't have a spot to knock him out. Yet we all wonder why the planet explodes soon."

"Aren't you the one who put Sylar in the future?" Claire said. "You are responsible for Noah Gray's birth."

"In this timeline," Peter shrugged. "The first time I saw him years ago, he was living with his father in your old house in Costa Verde. I don't know how he got born that time but whatever. So long as he is here. He is the tether to keep Gabriel Gray sane, which in turn saves the rest of us from his lust for blood. It's a good thing Noah Gray can't die."

"Didn't he die in that other timeline you saw?"

"I used to think that," said Peter. "But from what Noah told me here, his power got activated by being run over. Some abilities need to be jump-started. I'm wondering if maybe he survived eventually in that other timeline, but we'll never know."

"I've often wondered what it would be like for someone like us to even have children," said Claire. "We are immortal if left alone but there's no guarantee any of our children gets the same power. Sylar got lucky, but you didn't. Natalia is mortal."

"You're NOT threatening my daughter now are you?" Peter stood up & leaned over the table, staring Claire down.

She leaned back in a feeble attempt to avoid his gaze. "What? No! She was never a target! Do you really think that about me?"

"We're mortal, or perhaps immortal, enemies now," Peter pointed out. "I only came here to make a truce, not be friends with you. I trust Sylar more than you & I do not trust him much at all! You have no idea the damage you've done. I will never trust you again & if you ever get into trouble?" He slowly shook his head. "Don't expect me to show up! We're finished Claire! Have been for a long time. I'm only here for the sake of all the children involved. Sylar's son, my daughter & everyone else born in the past two decades. In fact, the only thing that is stopping me from killing you myself right now is Sylar. He told me to be careful how I handle you. He's really quite attached to you."

"He always has been since I was fifteen. He was twice my age then. He's a sick twisted pervert!"

"No, it's different," Peter disagreed. "This isn't some lovesick creeper puppy hanging outside your college dorm window anymore. Age gaps won't matter soon, seeing as how we can't die. He is looking to the far future where it's not the same as here."

"Hey I'm still trying to wrap my head around that okay?" Claire finally snapped. "I'd rather die than get with him! I really would. I can't see how I'd end up with him."

"It's a long time from now," Peter shrugged. "Get over it. For Noah's sake."

"Get over it?" Claire stood up as well. "Have you forgotten what he did?"

"No, but unlike Sylar or I, you're not quite a parent yet," Peter said. "Sure, you're going to be Noah's mother but from your point of view, that is not for another five thousand years. You're not a part of his life right now. You don't understand what it's like to have a child that could get wiped out by time itself if we're not careful, let alone any child at all. The things we do for our children are indescribable."

"That may be," said Claire. "Look, I don't want Noah erased any more than you do. Children are innocent regardless of who their parents are. I really do feel bad for Noah. What he has to deal with now that he knows & I do hate that Natalia didn't grow up with her mother."

"Don't even speak about Natalia!" Peter shot back. "You seem just fine with her not having a father around! You don't get to feel sorry about Emma, after what you did! You don't know the first thing about Natalia! There is something about her that you should have known years ago but you turned your back on all of us."

"What happened?" Claire asked. Peter just crossed his arms, glaring. "Peter, what's wrong? Is your daughter—"

"She's not mine, she's Nathan's!"

Claire stared at him. "W-what?"

"Yeah you heard right," Peter said.

"Nathan died a few years before Natalia was born. How is that even possible?"

"Nathan was a donor for me," said Peter. "I don't have sperm."

"Um, you have my power," Claire said. "Shouldn't that clear up whatever's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong," Peter said. "Although try telling that to the government back in the day. They always screwed up my passport until later on. It was really hard getting that F changed to an M on it.*"

Claire stared long & hard at him. "...Peter...are you...oh! OH MY! Seriously? Transgender?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Wow! I never knew."

"Well now you do," Peter muttered. "So I'd appreciate it if you stop accidentally killing off my family. I only have one shot left with Nathan's donor sperm."

"I've always seen you as a guy," said Claire. "When did you change?"

"I had transitioned when I was a kid," Peter began. "Between the ages of twelve & seventeen. Long before I met you & Sylar & got stuck with the regen. I was at first terrified it would revert me back, but I had plenty of time to heal from the transition so I guess the regen doesn't care. Just like my scar which I got during the time my power was broken. It was healed completely before I got fixed."

"How come the regen never fixed that paralysis you have?"

"I was born with dead nerves in my mouth," Peter said. "Regen heals, not resurrects."

"I guess," Claire said. "I've heard you still stutter at times even after absorbing my power. I often wondered why it didn't clear that up."

"The stutter is more emotional," said Peter. "As you can see, I had a lot of insecurities growing up."

"Yeah," Claire sighed. "I still can't believe you're transgender."

Peter just laughed at her. "Now you know why Nathan was always coddling me. Teasing me when I started on the road to become a nurse. I was still a girl when I started becoming interested in the medical field & mentioned I wanted to be a nurse. Then I transitioned but still wanted to be a nurse. Nathan had a lot of fun with that. But he was just being an over-protective big brother."

"I gotta sit down," Claire dropped into her chair.

Peter watched her for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Claire said. "Just a bit shocked. Of course I'm fine with it!"

"Good," Peter sighed. "'Cause I'm tired of fighting you. I don't need that on top of it."

"Peter." Claire started.

"Don't," Peter hushed her. "There is a lot of damage to repair. Sylar with his son. You & I. You & Sylar. It's going to take a lot of time."

"Well we have five thousand years."

"Thank God for that!" Peter declared. "I should get going. Hopefully we won't run into each other for a while." At that, he turned & left without another word or even a backwards glance. Claire sat at the table alone, watching him take flight outside the window before burying her face in her arms crossed over the table top.

* * *

_* From "Fight Or Flight" episode._


	28. Chapter 28

**(28) A Matter Of Time**

The Judge sat back in his chair & passed a hand over his brow. He looked down on America's greatest terror so far, as if in disbelief that he was finally caught & in his courtroom. "I still do not understand these abilities," the Judge finally said. "Even though I know people who have powers. If I could have you executed, I would in a heartbeat. It is no less than what you deserve. But, Mr. Petrelli says that's impossible but on the other hand, you literally can serve the multiple lifetime sentences I can only give you." He shuffled a few papers on his desk before going on. "Gabriel Gray, the killer known as Sylar, for all murders we know you have done, you are hereby sentenced to four lifetimes in prison. For the missing victim known as Elle Bishop, another fifty years has been added."

"Elle's not mine," Sylar muttered low under breath. Oh yes, he had killed her, but he considered it to be assisted suicide, not murder.

"For any unknown murders you may have done, I add another fifty years for good measure," the Judge went on, not hearing, or perhaps choosing not to hear. "A total of three hundred years for you. This case is finally closed!" After banging his gavel, the Judge got up & swept from the room.

Four guards took hold of Sylar, glancing to Peter for reassurance. Peter followed closely as they went down the hall. When they reached the door, he took the lead. Turning to the group he said, "Keep him in the middle & get to the van quickly. There are to be no comments!" At that, he opened the doors & entered the crowds of press.

All swarmed in on Peter first, begging for comments. A few got by & tried to get at Sylar but Peter shoved them aside with his own telekinetic force. Sylar kept his eyes ahead on Peter & seemed mildly amused in spite of everything which put the ex-medic even more on edge. Sylar was soon loaded into a large black van & the compartment he was in filled with white vapor to keep him from using any of his powers to escape.

About half an hour later, Sylar found himself being led back into the secured cell under New York City. Micah locked him in & turned on the mists. "Get used to the scenery, Sylar. It's all you'll see for the next three hundred years!" Sylar merely smiled as he turned away. Micah rolled his eyes & stomped up the stairs to the office to watch for a bit.

The next day, Peter finally had a short statement prepared for the press. It was short & to the point. "We have Sylar secured in an undisclosed location here in New York. He will stay there for three hundred years. None of you will see him again!"

"What do you plan to do after three hundred years?" one news crew asked.

"I hope to come up with a way to keep him contained forever or until we find out how to destroy him, whichever comes first," Peter said but only half meaning it. There was no point telling them what was going to happen five thousand years from now. They would all be dead. So would their children & their children's children many times over. It was not their problem.

"It is said you are unable to die as well," another one asked. "You are Peter Petrelli, the arch enemy of Sylar, are you not?"

Peter regarded the man who asked, noting the strange boxy shaped lettering on the microphone. Hebrew. Israel had shown up. The whole world was here! "My statement is to announce we have Sylar contained for three centuries. That is all." Peter disappeared on the spot. Teleportation.

Peter landed on the steps going down to the cell & eventually made his way in front of the glass, facing Sylar once more. They regarded each other in a long silent moment before Sylar finally asked, "How is Israel?"

Peter stared at him. Israel? Not Noah? He thought again of the Israeli newscaster. "She's fine."

"For now," Sylar turned away & sat on the bed.

Peter thumped on the glass. "You are not getting out of here for three centuries! More if possible!"

"Oh really?" Sylar smiled pleasantly. "Did you announce to the whole world that you are keeping me incarcerated or is it a secret?"

"I made a statement earlier," Peter admitted, suddenly wishing he hadn't made the statement. Something was wrong, but he couldn't figure it out just yet. Sylar softly laughed, making Peter demand, "What the hell are you scheming?"

"Nothing Peter," Sylar said. "Use that lie detection. I'm scheming nothing. But unlike you, I know everything that's going on. You have no idea what you did & unfortunately, Israel is going to suffer a bit until you understand what exactly just happened. You'll let me go back to Israel soon enough."

"Never!"

"You'll have no choice," Sylar insisted rather sadly.

"Gabriel I swear, I will do everything to keep Noah safe during this time," Peter began. "But you have to atone for your crimes. You're not going anywhere for three hundred years!"

"Exactly Peter," Sylar agreed. "I have to atone. ME! But only me. Not Israel!"

"Israel is fine!" Peter turned & walked away without another word.

"Not for long Peter," Sylar whispered as he hung is head. "Not for long." He knew his presence in Israel was the main thing holding everyone off. The terrorists were scared of him as well they should be. The Jews had their own ideas about him he still didn't quite accept but fact was, so long as he was in Israel, it didn't have as many problems.

But now he was stuck in America & Peter had just announced it to the whole world. It was only a matter of time before the wars bled into the holy ground once again. Noah & even Jason would have to not only fight in it but also survive it. Noah would but Jason would most likely die & it was all Peter's fault. But the worst was, Peter couldn't possibly know that right now. He could not understand just how much Sylar had changed, even from the man he had briefly glimpsed in another timeline. Neither did he have any knowledge of the fact that the Jewish nation was slowly viewing Sylar as more than a celebrity killer Rabbi. He was becoming a celebrity for another very personal, to Israel, reason. Sylar lay back on the bed & waited. It was only a matter of time.

Noah walked into the largest car dealership in Haifa about half an hour after school. Jason made a bee-line for the latest Audi cars, which seemed to be the main car chosen by the Gray family all the time, but he soon found himself alone. He retraced his steps to find his boyfriend among some of the most expensive cars there.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm feeling rebellious."

Jason smiled at him. "Ok, have a look at them. Just know there is no way you can afford any of these."

"I have five hundred thousand in my account at all times," Noah stated simply, making Jason stare at him. "I don't know why," Noah went on. "I don't buy much & the amount of plushies I ever bought maybe cost around three thousand. But no matter what, I always find exactly five hundred thousand in my account. Obviously, Dad replaces it, probably linked up our accounts so it is automatic, but where the hell does Dad get it? No Rabbi makes that much! But there it is, just the same."

"I knew you guys were well off," Jason gasped in awe. "But that...that...Noah..."

Hearing a thud, Noah glanced around, then down to find Jason passed out on the floor. "Whoa!" Noah yelped. "Uh someone? Help!"

A few moments later, Jason was perched up against the wall, sipping iced tea. "I can't believe I did that!" Jason remarked after a few minutes. Noah just laughed at him while Jason finished drinking. Jason handed back the empty glass to the clerk that had helped them a few moments later. They were left alone for a while. "If you buy anything now," Jason started. "It might not get replaced any more. Your Dad can't replenish his own account while he is in jail. I'd be careful if I were you."

"I expect I have a turn or two before it stops," Noah shrugged. "I need to do this. I need something new, different, bold."

"I know," Jason sighed. "You've had it rough. More so than me."

"Yup," Noah stared dead ahead at one car slightly hidden in the back behind a few others. It was sleek & black.

"It might be a power of his," Jason went on. "Check through the list Luke sent you."

"There's a power to make money appear?" Noah scoffed. Jason just looked at him until Noah gave up & humored him. "Oh," was all Noah could say after scanning through the list saved in his phone. He handed it to Jason. "Bob Bishop's power. Could turn any metal to gold." After almost a minute, Noah finished. "Dad killed him." Jason handed the phone back with a loud groan. The pair got up to stand among the shiny new cars.

"There's an Elle Bishop listed as well," Jason went on. "She had electricity as her power."

"I've heard that name before," Noah went on. "Elle. Electricity is on Luke's list of Dad's abilities. I think it's safe to say she is the same one Dad knew a long time ago. Mom accused Dad of hiding her body, unlike all the others. Dad said he didn't kill Elle. She isn't his murder. She was a suicide. Dad got really strange, talking about her. I just know they were together for a bit. Wonder if Bob Bishop was a husband of hers or something?"

"I don't know," Jason shrugged.

They walked in silence down the rows of cars. Noah seemed to be zeroing in on one in particular. They soon stood before the sleek black car, the latest model of the Rolls Royce Wraith. * Within the hour, Noah was signing the papers for it, just under four hundred grand & a few moments later, Noah was driving it out onto the road with Jason sitting in the passenger beside him, his face half wonder, half terror. Before heading home, Noah checked the bank & sure enough it had already been replaced proving his account was linked to his father's. Jason breathed a sigh of relief but warned Noah not to make a such a large purchase again as Sylar would not be refilling his own account any time soon.

Noah drove Jason around in the Wraith for almost two hours before they parted ways for a while. Noah went home to Aviv. Jason returned to his mother & tried to avoid his father as best possible. The next couple of weeks passed by in a daze for Noah. First thing he did was have a new garage set up for the Rolls Royce. He had moved it to the other side now, away from the lingering radiation but still off from the house. He & Jason were left alone at school & could hang out as they pleased. Noah was an instant hit among classmates with his new car. Girls all over the school were begging rides with him despite his relationship with Jason being well known. Noah was slowly becoming annoyed with them, worse when Jason didn't bother to hide his amusement.

"You can ride with him, but you can't ride him," Jason said one day, kissing Noah firmly to prove it. "Remember who he belongs to." Noah wanted to run Jason over with the Wraith. He blushed furiously as he got in & drove away, ignoring swooning girls & Jason's laughter. He'll deal with the idiot later as they were planning to go surfing over the weekend at the beach by Noah's place.

But for the moment, Noah's biggest problem was that he was now, unusually, alone. Sure Aviv was with him, but he was no longer with his father. The house they had shared together also felt strange to him. It was the home of a retired notorious killer & Noah was beginning to feel the ghosts creep up his back. He saw the faces of his father's victims whispering through the windows, unable to be heard. Sometimes in the mirror, they seemed to be behind him but for a moment. Noah knew it was ridiculous, That they weren't actually there. It was just his imagination. If anything, reality was sinking in him at last. He was sitting on the floor of the living room, petting Aviv's belly, when he finally figured it out.

The walls bled!

Everything in his life was drenched in blood! The money that paid for the house, the food, the clothes, the plushies, hell, even the damn dog. Bob Bishop's power. It was all blood money! Noah got the box out from under the porch swing & looked through it to find Claire's picture. It was singed on the edges, but somehow it gave it a nostalgic look. He saved it, framed it to put into his empty room. Starting over. He burned the rest of the contents of the box. Eventually, he locked the dog in the Wraith, pulled out almost everything in the house & torched it all in the place where the rubble of the old garage still stood. He knew his Wraith was also a thing of murder **, but let's be reasonable. He needed it to get to school, the base, the city. Same for the house. He needed something to live in. It was stone & brick anyway, hard to burn. He left it standing but mostly empty except the bare necessities.

Noah was sitting in his car in the new garage, watching the smoke die down while Aviv curled up in his lap when someone knocked on his window. Expecting Jason, Noah looked around but it was Peter instead. Noah turned the car on to put the window down with a mere touch of the button.

Peter leaned in to look inside. "Sweeeeeeeeeeet riiiiiide!" He kept ogling the leather seats.

"Rolls Royce Wraith," Noah said.

"Dude!" Peter was still gaping. He suddenly grinned like a kid. "Can you please just drive me up the road in this beautiful beast?"

"Sure," Noah laughed. "Get in." He gripped Aviv's collar while Peter went around & slipped into the passenger side. He backed out & was soon gliding down the road. "How's Dad?" he finally asked.

"We just finished his trial the other day."

"That was fast."

"There wasn't much need to drag it out," Peter shrugged. "Noah, I'll look out for you during this time alright?"

"Just say it." Noah wasn't fooled.

"Your Dad's going to be incarcerated for," Peter paused before deciding to get it over with. "For three hundred years."

"Okay," Noah muttered.

Peter looked at him. No emotion. No surprise. No worry at suddenly becoming an adult on the spot. Just okay & done. "Noah? You won't be totally separated from him for that long. I'll make sure you can see him whenever you wish. I'll come check up on you as often as you want."

"Thanks Uncle Peter," Noah replied nonchalantly. "Appreciate it."

Peter watched Noah for a long time. The Wraith swooped around curves & sucked up the road under its wheels like a puppy lapping milk. It smoothed over bumps in the asphalt so that its riders didn't feel a thing. "Alright Noah," Peter finally spoke. "What's going on? You're Dad doesn't seem to care that he will be in a cement box for three centuries. Now you. It's like nothing to either one of you. Why are you both acting so tough? It's going to be three centuries Noah. There is no escaping it."

"You really don't understand Israel, do you?" Noah asked.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Everything," Noah stated simply. "Do you know anything about this country at all?"

"You guys keep Sabbath, don't eat pork."

Noah laughed. "We don't eat anything unclean, not just pork. No rabbits either. Some fish we can't have. Like eel. It's got to have fins AND scales, or it isn't a good fish. No shellfish either. The good Muslim folk here don't bother with Sabbath. That's just a Jewish thing, some Protestants as well. Adventists. Messianic folks too. But not all. But the one thing all Israel knows is that these wars won't last forever. Someone's got to put a stop to that."

"You think your Dad's going to do that?"

"He already has for the most part," Noah said. "You interrupted him." The Wraith pulled off to the side of the road. "If Israel falls now, it is not going to be the fault of any terrorist factions." He looked at Peter. "It's going to be yours."

"Excuse me?" Peter all but glared. "You know what your father did. He was bound to be locked up sooner or later."

"That's fine," Noah said. "But you didn't leave it at that, did you? I heard you, Uncle Peter. I saw your broadcast. The whole fucking world saw it. Everyone knows Sylar is no longer in Israel where he is supposed to be. Ask Mom. She knows."

"What does Claire know?" Peter rolled his eyes. "She is a very deceived, lost woman."

"Dad told her he can't leave Israel for five thousand years," Noah said. "Figure it out! First of all, he needs to stay out of time's way for my sake. But also, the enemies of the Jews stopped coming in here because they are terrified of my father! I always had a feeling they were scared of him because he somehow was able to figure out their plans & blab it to Israel. Of course I know now that they are scared of him because he is Sylar. But either way, his presence here was the biggest protection Israel had but you took him away. Whatever happens next is on you! When the war comes back in here & if Jason dies because of it, that's going to be on you as well. That broadcast never should have happened. It would have bought Israel some time before people realized he is no longer here, but you ruined it all."

"You really think so?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Noah went on. "My Dad already is a prisoner, but his jail is the country of Israel, not your cement hole! So long as he is here, Israel is safe. There will always be people who hate the Jews. Dad can't leave! Ever! Three hundred years? Nothing compared to eternity!"

"Being incarcerated under New York for three hundred years will definitely keep him out of time's way," Peter tried. "He can come back to Israel for however long he likes after that. As for the enemies of Israel, there will always be someone. Wars happen all over the planet. It's a part of history."

Noah turned the car around to head back home. "Israel is supposed to have peace."

"Some day," said Peter. "But it has little to do with anyone on Earth right now."

It was a silent ride back home apart from Aviv ruffing under breath now & then. Noah knew there was no point trying to tell Peter the real reason. Unlike his silly father, Noah wasn't about to get into a religious debate with Peter any time soon. The fire was mostly done by the time Noah pulled into the driveway.

"What are you burning?" Peter asked.

"Everything," Noah stated simply. "I just realized everything here is bought with blood money. Dad has Bob Bishop's power. I just felt like everything was covered in blood. So I torched it all except for the things I need."

Peter put a hand to his brow for a moment, feeling part of the long scar across his face. "Yup. You're right about that." He got out but before closing the door, he added, "I have to get back. Keep an eye on your father. But I will drop in next week. In fact, I'll check up on you at least once a week until Jason moves in." He winked conspiratorially. "Then I'll leave you two love birds alone for a bit." Noah just rolled his eyes as Peter vanished on the spot a second after closing the door.

Jason showed up mere moments later & the pair instantly went to the waves with Aviv running behind them on the beach. They spent most of the day in the water. It was the first day since Noah had run off to New York that things seemed semi-normal & there was little talk of killers or prisons apart from Noah explaining to Jason why he had just torched the ever-loving hell out of ninety-nine percent of everything.

They entered an almost empty house that evening. The couch & TV were still in the living room but everything else was gone. Noah pulled Jason into the kitchen to grab some food which was all that was left besides the built in bar stools along one edge of the central counter. On that counter, the Menorah still stood along with fresh Sabbath candles.

"I kept them for you," Noah shrugged. "Friday evening so..." He held out the lighter for Jason. "How is your Dad?" He asked as Jason began lighting the wicks. Jason just shrugged. "You want to go to the synagogue tomorrow?"

Jason put the lighter away & stared into the seven flames. "Mom wants me there so I go for her."

"I suppose you want to drag my sorry ass out of bed at that ungodly hour as well then," Noah teased.

"Ohh yes!" Jason grinned for a moment at last. "If I'm going, you're going!" He pulled out his phone to answer it. "Hi Mom, yes I'm going, don't worry." A moment later, he said, "Jerusalem? Alright...It doesn't matter since it's basically the same distance from Rabbi Gray's home...Yes Noah is coming...of course he is already complaining. You know him!" He laughed as Noah held up both middle fingers & scowled. "Shabbot shalom!" He hung up, still laughing.

"I hate you both!" Noah muttered, leading the way back to the couch to sit down. "So why Jerusalem?"

"Dad's taking over for a friend who is gone on vacation with family," Jason shrugged. "Been a while since I've gone there."

The last time Jason was in Jerusalem, he had run off to try becoming a Rabbi on his own only to be caught at the Wailing Wall; but neither of them mentioned that fact. Noah had some of his piece of bread before saying, "They still rebuilding the mess Dad & Uncle Peter made. They have people all over scouring the ground for each & every piece of the Via Dolorosa to put back in place."

"It's going to take a long time," Jason replied.

"Yup," Noah nodded, tossing the last bit of bread to Aviv.

They went to bed early for Noah's sake, but the next morning he was still cranky & had to be dragged out anyway. He tried, but mornings were never his friend. Jason tossed him in the back of his own car & drove for Jerusalem just as dawn began to turn pink. By the time they got into Jerusalem, Noah was finally acceptable for the public (though Jason didn't both to mention Noah's hair was all shoved up from being pressed against the seat) & was wide awake by the time they entered the temple.

There was the usual tense greeting between father & son while Tirzah immediately went to work on smoothing down Noah's dark brown hair. The three of them sat together near the front while Nehemiah went up to face the congregation.

It was late afternoon by the time everyone stepped outside. Nehemiah & his family had been invited to someone's home nearby for lunch but it took a while for people to sort themselves out & move to their cars. Noah eventually pried himself loose from a group of middle-aged or older fuss-bodies all glimpsing a look at the now famous son of Sylar & eventually made it towards Jason's car, but he never got into that car again. He lost track of it in an instance of white light & booming sound.

Noah lay flat on his back at the bottom of a small crater, staring up at the sky as debris & body pieces rained down. He looked to his right to see only half the synagogue remained standing & as he stared at it, that half begin sliding down towards him. He jumped up & ran along the opposite side of the crater to climb back onto whatever was left of the road. It took him a long time to understand what had just happened & by then, the place was swarming with rescue teams who lined the side with any bodies they found.

A suicide bomber had been in the parking lot, waiting for them. The blast had killed nearly everyone. The few survivors had either been on the outskirts of the area or had been among the first to leave. Noah should have been dead for he had been at the epicenter of it. Only his regen had saved him. He looked around wildly for Jason first, but found only bloodstained rubble. With a grim look, he turned to the covered bodies. He kept telling himself he was born from Death himself. His father had looked down on countless dead people without problem. But Noah still flinched at lifting the corner of one sheet to see someone lying dead there. Sylar would be so disappointed in his son at that moment was all Noah could think of from then on. It didn't get easier as he checked under more sheets for anyone he knew, especially when only bits were there waiting for him instead of a full corpse.

He eventually moved away from the dead & found a place to lean over for a bit, hands on knees. "How did you manage it, Dad?" Noah muttered, hoping he would never see a dead body again, knowing that would be impossible.

When the ambulances started leaving to make room for others, Noah asked which hospital they were going to, then made his way there. He wanted to take a break from the dead to find any survivors. He couldn't remember Jason being near him at the time of the bomb going off & hoped that perhaps Jason & his family had been away from the main disaster zone. He spent most of the afternoon at the hospital, checking survivors, asking if anyone of the Gatineau family had been brought in. Finally, someone told him that another hospital was in use as this one had quickly filled with the first ones found alive. Noah quickly headed to the new location. It was nearly dark by the time he got there. Within five minutes, he finally found someone & nearly ran to the room.

Nehemiah stood up from the bed as Noah came in. "There you are," he started. "I knew you would be alright because of your magic bestowed to you by both your parents, but where were you? I tried calling."

"I was right at the center of it, so that phone is gone," Noah said. "Got all my clothes ripped as well." He waved a hand over himself as he moved in closer. "Are you alright Rabbi?" Noah paused, looking around. Nehemiah did not look well. Besides having his left arm in a sling & some bandages over his face, he also looked like a man who had lost everything. His eyes fell on the bed. "Jason?!" Noah hurried over & half lay over his lover, petting back some hair. "Jason!"

"He's gone Noah."

"What?" Noah glanced back at Nehemiah. "No no no! He wasn't with me! He should be fine!"

"The machines are the only thing keeping him alive," Nehemiah said.

"He'll pull through," Noah gasped between tears. "People on machines have done that before."

Nehemiah came around the bed to sit near Noah. "There is no life left in him," he tried again. "The machines are keeping his brain activity going but he will never survive without them. Noah?" He tried pulling Noah away but it was no use. "Jason has his will done up. He doesn't want to be on a machine. You know what this means, right?"

Noah buried his face into Jason's chest, sobbing. After a long while, he hoarsely asked, "Can I have some time with him before you do that?"

"You can have all night," Nehemiah said. "I'm not pulling the plug until I can bury him the same day & I can't do that until I know what happened to Tirzah." He stood up. "I'm glad you are here Noah. Stay with him for me until I get his mother."

Noah could only nod, never taking his eyes off Jason. These final moments with him shouldn't have happened for many years. He knew it would come some day but why did that day have to be now? He lay next to Jason, gently holding one hand that had been wrapped as if Jason could still feel pain. Noah looked over the damage done to his partner's body. Even if Jason pulled through, he would have been scarred for life. He had wounds from his face down his chest & had even broken both legs. Noah watched the fake breath go out as the machine pumped in some more air. Tomorrow. Noah would be totally & completely alone tomorrow. Has father gone to the prison of living criminals. His boyfriend gone to the prison of a grave. Neither would be getting out any time soon.

Noah aimlessly wandered down the hall & eventually wound up in the lounge room. He found the coffee & poured some. After drinking it, Noah went back to watch over Jason for a while longer. But what he really wanted at that time, was his father. Sylar knew all about death. He should have been here to help his son through this! Noah suddenly bolted & ran into the street. He made his way to a gas station that was open twenty four seven. Non-Jewish. Didn't have the Sabbatical restraints. He went in & got a new phone. Half an hour later, Noah was walking back to the hospital, calling Micah.

"Noah, how are you?" Micah picked up on the third ring.

"Jason is going to die tomorrow," Noah said first. He fell silent. He didn't mean to dump it on Micah like that but it was done now.

"What?" Micah stared at the screen watching Sylar stretch out on the bed.

"We were in Jerusalem," Noah started.

"Jerusalem?" Micah exclaimed. "I saw it on the news. The city got attacked today."

Noah paused with a hand on the door to the main entrance of the hospital. "What? We had a suicide bomber blow up at the synagogue."

"Noah the whole city was blasted," Micah said. "What happened to Jason?"

"He got hit pretty bad," Noah explained. "...so the plug will be pulled as soon as we find his mom."

"I'm so sorry to hear that Noah," Micah turned away from the screen. "How are you doing?"

Noah took a long time in answering. He sat down in the lounge room on the base floor. "Can I talk to Dad please?"

"Of course you can," said Micah. "Peter has something set up down there so you two can still communicate. Bare in mind, it is going to be recorded."

"Yeah I figured as much."

"You just hold on a few minutes," Micah got up. "I'll bring this down & connect you."

Noah leaned back in his chair & looked up at the TV. It was then he saw the whole story. Two planes had flown over & dropped bombs on the other side of the city from him & the suicide bomber in the parking lot was not the only one blasting off that day. It had been a large scale attack, hitting all sides at once. If one was in Jerusalem, there was currently no way out either. A few minutes later, he heard Micah talking to him & then he heard his father's voice.

"Dad?"

"Hello Noah," Sylar stood near the sealed door, leaning back on the window. There was a speaker there connecting to a phone outside. "How are you?"

"How do you do it?" Noah asked. "Look at someone who is dead & not care?"

Sylar slid down to sit on the floor. "I care quite a bit, Noah. I tried to hang myself after my first kill. I was just a young kid. A nerd. Shy guy. I would never have hurt anyone. Then abilities started showing up & I not only got stuck with the strangest one, I was also studied like crazy because of even having any power. It makes me go into a trance. I take the power. I come out of it. Someone is dead at feet. I actually didn't want any of them to die but it couldn't be helped. At the same time, I also liked the hunt but again, that was the power surging through me. Works on adrenaline. That's what made me kill. That was how I looked at it back then. I both loved it & hated it. Noah, I was messed up & out of control. But through it all I seemed to have developed some sort of serial killer code. It saved some lives while I was destroying mine & countless others."

"You don't kill children," Noah sighed. "I know."

"The only exception was your Mom," Sylar said. "But I knew she wouldn't die. That's the time I knew I wouldn't kill children because of the screw up. I thought Jackie was your Mom. That was the biggest mistake of my life & I will never forgive myself for it." There was a long moment of silence before Sylar said. "Why are you asking me this? You pretty much already know."

"Jason is going to be dead tomorrow & I have to look at him when they bury him."

Sylar was on his feet before the thought crossed his mind. "What the hell happened Noah?" He listened intently as Noah told him everything, even the new information that the whole of Jerusalem City had been bombed. Sylar pressed his forehead to the cool steel door as Noah fell silent at last. "So it starts," Sylar finally spoke.

"We both knew it would," Noah replied. "But I thought..." He wiped away a tear. "I thought Jason would survive a bit longer than this. But it's in his will. He is going to be taken off as soon as Tirzah is found."

"Actually Noah," Sylar began. "You might be able to save him."

Dead silence followed as Noah processed what he had heard. "What? How?"

"Are you with him?"

"I can be in a minute."

"Okay, go to him. Tell me what you see."

Noah took the stairs up & was by Jason's side a moment later. "He's all hooked up. Machine is breathing for him."

"Any heartbeat or brain wave activity?"

"Brain waves yes. No heartbeat."

"That's fine."

"What do you mean that's fine? His heart is dead!"

Sylar slapped a hand to his face for a moment. "I mean it will be fine. Noah your blood can save him. Get a syringe. Stab yourself & pull out a vial of that stuff."

"How do I know if our blood is compatible?"

"Noah, you, your mother & I have all special blood," Sylar began. "It's because of the regen. Peter can do it too now. It's compatible with anyone. Your mother's blood did it with Noah Bennet when he was severally injured. I stole a whole vial of hers when I had the Shanti virus. It can heal but not resurrect. Those brain waves are a bit of life left in Jason. Get some of yours out. Then either put it into the IV pack or shoot him up with it."

Noah couldn't believe what he was hearing but he was desperate for any chance to save Jason. He put the phone aside & began frantically looking around. Sylar heard a thud as if a door banged & had to wait a bit. Noah went into the hall & searched around until he found a needle. He went back to Jason's room & filled a vial of his own blood, then picked up the phone again. "Dad, are you sure this will work?"

"It should," Sylar shrugged. "It's the only chance he has. Just stick it in him."

Noah grinned widely. "I already did."

Since Sylar wasn't there, he didn't see Noah's face or get the fact that Noah was talking about something else for the first time in his life. "Ok good," Sylar went on. "Tell me what's happening."

Noah rolled his eyes, put the phone on the table & poked the needle into Jason's limp arm. Once the blood drained in, he tossed it aside & grabbed the phone again. "Nothing yet."

"Depending how badly he is injured, it might take some time," said Sylar.

"Dad? Will he become immortal?"

"No it will just heal him," Sylar answered. "You have to be either born with regen, like you & your Mom, or have mimicry like me, or Peter."

Noah sat down on the bed & took hold of Jason's hand. There was a short beeping sound. Noah watched the machine for a while until it beeped again. "Dad," Noah all but whispered. "I think the heart monitor just beeped." It made the sound again as he said it. "Yes, it did!"

"Good, that means it worked," Sylar said. "Let him heal. It might take all night. Why don't you try to get some sleep & call me back when Tirzah is found?"

"Alright!" Noah breathed a sigh of relief. "I will. Dad? Thanks for that."

"Noah, I don't want Jason dead."

* * *

* _What? Yes it is Zach Quinto's car in NOS4A2. Bite me!_

** _I'm reading NOS4A2 right now, will watch the series later, but the Wraith does seem to have a mind of its own._


	29. Chapter 29

**(29) The Obsidian Tallit**

Noah had fallen asleep on the bed next to Jason, waiting for him to heal completely. He was roused late the next morning by a hand petting his hair. Noah lifted his head after a moment to find Jason staring back at him. There were no more wounds. It was as if he had just woken up after going to bed like any normal person.

"Be grateful I let you sleep in," Jason began. "It's almost eleven. OW! What did you do that for?" He pushed himself up & rubbed his arm.

"Do you have any idea what just happened?" Noah complained. "You almost died on me last night!"

"I remember seeing a bright flash," Jason shrugged. "Next thing I know, I'm waiting for a later hour to be able to get up since somebody likes to sleep in. This is a hospital bed, right?" He looked around. "What happened?" Noah glared at him before pulling himself closer to lie next to him & tell him everything. After several minutes of silence, Jason asked, "Where are my parents, Noah?"

"Well your Dad's fine," Noah began. "Bit busted up but not as bad as some others. But I haven't seen him since last night. He'll be glad you're alright. He thinks he's coming back here to pull the plug on you."

"Yeah I'm still trying to process that," Jason gasped. "Was it really that bad?"

"You were dead apart from the machines keeping some bit of you going," said Noah. "It was enough for my blood to fix you."

"Well first thing we should do is go find him," Jason push Noah off so he could get up. "He could use some good news."

"I thought you didn't care about him?"

"I don't want him dead," Jason defended. "Just stop meddling with my life."

Noah moved back to make room for Jason & nearly fell over. "Be careful," he looked down to find all the tubes & wires that had connected Jason to the machine strewn about on the floor.

"I pulled all that off earlier but someone was sleeping so I just threw them away," Jason shrugged. He helped Noah kick them into a pile. Both turned to leave & nearly walked into a nurse who had come in. She yelped in surprise.

"Miracles happen I guess," Noah tried to pass off Jason's amazing recovery as some sort of medical fluke.

But the nurse wasn't staring at Jason. She was looking directly at Noah. "I thought he was here for a moment," She said. "You look so much like your father."

"You know him?" Noah asked.

"Not personally," said the nurse. "But I've heard all about him. Been following the story for over twenty years. Heard he is being held in New York now."

"Three hundred years," said Noah. "We're going downstairs to get something to eat." He scooted around her & out the door, dragging Jason by the hand behind him.

"What was that about?" Jason asked.

"I hate this attention," Noah muttered. "Ever since Dad's trial." He pulled out his phone & called Nehemiah. They made into the lobby by the time Noah was done explaining how his blood had saved Jason. But there was no excitement or relief when Noah paused, waiting for Nehemiah to say something. "Rabbi?" Noah tried. Jason had returned to Noah's side by now, after checking himself out of the hospital. "Do you want me to tell him?" Noah finally said.

"Sure," Nehemiah sighed. "Better get down here. Better hurry."

Noah eventually put the phone away & looked at Jason. "Your Dad found something."

"What?"

"There isn't any easy way to say this," Noah began. "He found...He...Jason? He found your Mom's head."

The rest of the day went by in a fuzzy haze for Jason. Noah had led the way down to a triage center that had been set up in the streets. They found Nehemiah sitting on the edge of the back end of a truck. There was a small wooden box closed up on the ground nearby & Jason instinctively lunged for it. Nehemiah held him back. Tirzah had been standing right next to the bomber & whatever was left of her was in that box. Upon seeing Jason alive & well again did seem to put Nehemiah into better spirits at last & he held on to his son, crying a long time on his shoulder.

Noah moved away to call his father about what happened. After hanging up, Sylar all but put his fist through the cement wall & was fortunate he could heal. Tirzah was one of few he had been close to but more than that, he knew it was just the beginning. Noah called one of his school friends next to go after Aviv since Jerusalem was currently under martial law & no one could get in or out for a while.

The next step was to bury what little they had of Tirzah immediately. The small casket was placed in an underground vault. It seemed lost & alone as they eventually returned topside. No one mentioned the fact that this was not where she was supposed to be. The Gatineau family had their place in Haifa but it would be a while before any one could go home. Too late for Tirzah's burial so she was to be left behind in a singular vault.

Noah & Jason fell behind Nehemiah, following him to some place they would apparently stay until they could go home. Noah's mind kept wandering back to school & how much trouble he was in already. He would miss a few days now. He knew it was ridiculous to think about such things right now but nothing else came to mind, except occasionally his father or Aviv.

The three of them were soon ushered into a home by a young girl who instantly latched onto Noah for some reason. She pulled him forward to meet her sister & mother. Nehemiah spoke first & then told the boys they were staying here for a while.

"She knew Ariel," Nehemiah went on, speaking directly to Noah. "The woman who worked with your father. Devorah & her two daughters. I see you've already met Nechamie. Gissel is her sister."

"Great," Noah nodded politely, but dreaded the publicity about to come his way. "I'm Noah."

"I know," Nechamie said. "I met your Dad. He saved us."

"He did?"

"Yeah," Nechamie nodded. "It was the day before that raid when Ariel got killed."

"Oh," Noah relaxed a little. If it was that long ago then perhaps they weren't lying when they said they knew Sylar from just 'hearing' about him. They actually seemed to know him.

"My sister & I already rearranged our rooms," Gissel said, eyeing Jason. "Girls in hers. Boys in mine." Jason looked horrified & Noah burst out laughing.

There was a small slapping sound & Gissel was instantly cowed. "That is quite enough, Gissel!" Devorah glared at her, then turned to Nehemiah. "I assure you the children will be strictly watched."

"No need," Nehemiah said. "They're...um, wait how do you guys say it?"

"Homo-romantic, asexual," Noah & Jason droned out together.

"Yeah, that," Nehemiah said.

"What does that mean?" Devorah asked.

"All I heard was homo...something," Nechamie said with a dejected sigh. "They're gay."

"Not quite," Noah said at the same time Jason gave up & muttered, "Close enough."

Both girls looked utterly sad. Meanwhile Nehemiah looked at Devorah & actually managed a short grin. The six of them went into the dining room where a late lunch was already set out & waiting. The two adults sat together while the four teenagers lined either side of the table with Nechamie & Gissel facing Noah & Jason.

"So what did you say exactly?" Nechamie leaned forward & asked Noah who was directly across from her.

"What, homo-romantic, asexual?" Noah asked under breath. They kept their voices down, knowing this conversation was not appropriate for the table & did not want to draw attention from the adults.

"Yeah that," Nechamie nodded. "What does that mean?"

"It means you have no chance with my fiancé," Jason replied, putting a hand over Noah's. "I proposed to him a while ago. We lost his ring but his father will replace it soon." He was being protective, having lost a lot today & wanted to keep Noah exceptionally close.

Noah moved his foot sideways to step on Jason's toes. "Homo-romantic means we only can love other guys & asexual means we aren't ruled by sex. We don't physically attract. We prefer intellectual connection."

"You'll never have sex?" Gissel asked quietly as if in awe.

"Oh we will & do," Noah said. "But not often & it is not an obligation. More of a if it happens, it happens & if it doesn't then it doesn't thing & it can only happen with someone we have known for a very long time. No one night stand stuff. We can't do that. Don't see the point in it."

"I've never met a guy who wasn't sex-driven," Nachemie mused.

"So you girls sleep around then?" Noah asked. It was his turn to have his toes crushed.

"What?" Gissel went red. "No. We are waiting for marriage."

"It's the wait that's killing us," Nechamie muttered. Noah choked on his wine.

"What's going on down there?" Devorah reached forward & jabbed Gissel on the arm with her fork. "Eat in silence please."

"Yes Mother," Both girls muttered, staring into their plates.

"I apologize for the girls' rudeness," Devorah began. "They are young & impatient."

"They're not being rude," Noah defended.

Jason whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Noah. "Yes they are."

"Nechamie just asked me what I meant earlier is all," Noah went on, ignoring Jason.

Devorah seemed mildly surprised at the mention of Nechamie, usually it was Gissel causing problems. "Very well," She let the matter go. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"Fine I guess," Noah shrugged.

"Your father was in this house for one day," Devorah went on. "He is now in jail back in America for a very long time."

"New York City," Noah said.

"So who is to look after you in the meantime?"

"Uncle Peter, Uncle Luke & Mom."

"Your Mother?" Devorah gasped.

"Yeah I found her," said Noah. "They all check up on me. Uncle Peter literally drops in & Mom called me a few times. So does Uncle Luke. Oh I should send them my new phone number." He turned on his phone & began sending messages through Facebook. He told them all to stay in America for now until he could get back home.

"At least you're not totally by yourself," Devorah said. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Fine," Noah put the phone away after a moment. "Just worried about school, really."

"I called the principle & your Commander," Nehemiah said. "You won't have any trouble for missing days in school or at the base. They know what's going on."

"Thank you Rabbi," Noah gasped. He had completely forgotten about his military training. "Any idea when we can go home?"

"It will be at least a month," Nehemiah stated grimly. This shut the entire table up for the rest of the meal.

Afterwards, the women took care of cleaning up the table. Noah automatically tried to help since he was used to just him & his father doing everything, but was instantly shooed out. He went onto the back porch with Jason while Nehemiah went to set himself up in the spare guest room. A short while later, Gissel found the boys & wasted no time showing Jason & Noah her room & how she had set up two beds for them. Once she left them alone, they pushed the beds together to make one & settled in.

Both lay back on the full bed a few minutes later. "That was really weird," Jason remarked.

"What?"

"How you just let that conversation go on like that," Jason said. "Didn't your Dad ever teach you not to talk about stuff like that at the table?"

"Dad always talked to me about sex at the table," Noah shrugged. "It's his favorite topic & probably his favorite place to do it on."

"Ew, what?" Jason just stared.

"First he was worried something happened to me since it took a while for me to bring anyone home," Noah began after a laugh. "Then he teased me mercilessly about being ace."

"Wait, your Dad doesn't like how you got born?"

"Oh he does," said Noah. "He is quite supportive but he also likes to tease. Must be a parent thing."

"I guess," Jason sighed. "Must be an American thing to act like that at the table. I'd would have been smacked if my Dad caught me talking about such topics there, or worse than talking."

"You have a weird Dad," Noah teased. He rolled over to be closer to Jason. "But what about you? I mean, it's just your Dad now. What are you going to do?"

"It's been a really strange day," said Jason. "I did not expect to wake up & bury my mother today. I have to stay with him for a little while."

"I know," said Noah. "Take all the time you need."

It took some time to get used to the new set up, especially for Noah who had never lived in a full house before. He would often hide in the bedroom, used to being alone. Jason on the other hand, fitted right in, having come from a huge family. He was not looking forward to being stuck alone with his father any time soon but for the moment, it seemed the two of them had put aside their differences for now.

Devorah kept a close eye on the girls for the first few days & was rather surprised that Nehemiah didn't show any concern when she found out the boys made the same bed. He just shrugged it off, reminded her they only had interest in each other, had little interest in anything physical & even if they did, they couldn't get pregnant anyway, unlike the other two. Devorah gave up. But she still watched her two daughters who were beginning to behave even more oddly than usual.

By the end of March, Noah & Jason were able to continue some schooling through online classes that their school had set up with another school in Jerusalem. They were soon able to catch up but going home seemed even farther out of reach than before. All out war had broken out in several major cities by then. Tel Aviv was a virtual rubble heap & Haifa had finally been hit as well. Noah spent a lot of time in bomb shelters. Every time he came back out of one, the first two things he would do was call the prison to speak with his Dad & then check up on Aviv.

One day, they returned to Devorah's place to find that it had been hit. The damage was minimal, one wall broken down & a few windows blown but it was still a mess to clean up. The hole where most of the wall was gone had to be patched up immediately. Replacing it would be a luxury for some other time.

It was late in the evening by the time the place was suitable enough to live in once more. They all but collapsed in the living room for a well earned rest. But within a few moments, Devorah noticed that her daughters were absent. She got up to look for them & found them in their combined bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Devorah asked as she barged in on them. Both girls gasped & looked around, trying to shove something under their bed. "What is that?"

"It's...It's nothing," Nechamie stammered.

Devorah rolled her eyes, pushed them aside & pulled out something long, rectangular, black & velvety. She unfolded the sleek plush pile of fabric to find dark red strips made up of intricate roses going down, each petal thinly outlined with gold, & it had tassels mixing colors of a deep royal blue, white & also gold around the edge, though not completely. The black background glistened like obsidian. It had an almost Gothic allure about it. Glancing at the floor, she found sewing items & more tassels to be placed on the main piece of fabric. "Silk velvet. I've never seen anything like it. I know a few black ones exist but not like this unusual color scheme. This is a tallit gadol. Amazing work! Why are you hiding this?"

The girls glanced at each other before Gissel said, "Because you won't like who it's for."

"Well who is it for then?"

More awkward silence. "We've been working on it for a while," Nechamie tried.

"Ariel's idea," Gissel said. "She started it, but nev—"

"Gissel!" Devorah cut her off. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at both of them. When they remained silent, she turned the shawl over in her hands. Feeling the unusual colors. Letting them tell the story. Blue. The ancient dye all tallits had & a color commanded in the Torah. White. Purity. Gold. Wealth, prosperity but also passion & magic. Black. Soulless & death. Red. Blood. Dark Rose. Bold, yet mysterious. She let the thick sleek velvet slip from her fingers to the floor. "For Sylar?" Nechamie & Gissel looked away. "Why?" Devorah demanded. "He's not coming back for three hundred years."

"Because of Ariel!" Nechamie said again. "She started it. It was supposed to go to him when he is ready for it."

"Sylar will never be ready for something like this!" Devorah declared. "Tallits are a sacred thing. Used in prayer. You ever see him pray? He's an atheist!"

"Beliefs change," Gissel pointed out.

"You sound like Ariel," Devorah muttered.

"Ariel said he will need this one day," Nechamie said. "You know what she thought of him right?"

"She was sleeping with him, you stupid girl!" Devorah snapped. "The thoughts she had of him do not belong in pretty silly heads like yours!"

Nechamie jumped up to her feet. "She thought he is the Messiah!"

"She's not the only one," Gissel added before Devorah could say anything. "We hear people talking about him in the streets. Even Shlomo had thought very highly of Rabbi Gray, or are you going to tell us he was sleeping with Sylar as well?"

"Who knows? Maybe," Devorah defended. "Now, enough of this foolishness."

"Foolishness?" Gissel scoffed. "Explain why Israel is just about done for in just barely a month then? The MOMENT Sylar was taken away, we were all in trouble!"

"Ask Noah," Nechamie added. "He says the same thing."

"What do I say?" Noah asked as he came into the room. Nehemiah & Jason were close behind. "We could hear you yelling at each other from downstairs."

"So long as your Dad was here, people were scared to attack Israel," Nechamie said.

"That is true," Noah agreed.

"That doesn't make him the Messiah," Devorah pointed out.

"Messiah?!" Noah exclaimed before laughing. "A lot of people been saying that about my Dad."

"See?" Nechamie & Gissel both said.

"Again, it doesn't make it true," Devorah pointed out.

"We try to stay out of religious debates," Noah said. "But we can't argue the fact that Israel is safer with him here."

All ducked as they heard planes fly over head. But no bombs were dropped. "I hope that was America flying in," Nehemiah said after a few minutes. "Regardless of who thinks what about him, we need him back & soon."

"Uncle Peter will never let him go before he serves his sentence," Noah said.

"Give it a little more time," said Nehemiah. "Peter might change his mind."

Noah slipped away first to finally make his calls while the two adults went back downstairs leaving the girls alone to finish what they were doing. Jason joined Noah in their bedroom & the pair were soon asleep.

It was the American Air force flying in & in a few days, some sense of order was brought into Jerusalem; though, a lot of restrictions remained in place. No one could go out after a certain time unless going to or coming from one of the shelters. Almost all businesses were still closed down or reduced to half their hours & no one had been to a synagogue, mosque or church since the initial attack.

The streets were safer to walk on but Noah ended up avoiding the main roads where the Americans were. They recognized him & it wasn't the same as with the Jewish nation. He looked a lot like his father & America had been Sylar's biggest bloodbath. When the American soldiers saw Noah coming, they would often stand up & group together, watching him, as if daring him to make a kill like his father did. Some would disappear altogether. Others just stared in disbelief that their greatest horror had spawned.

But regardless of the mistrust, Noah was glad America had shown up. They wasted no time sorting people out & began slowly opening the cities to start sending everyone home. People were sent home in groups, behind large escorts. It was a slow process with each group having a designated date for leaving. The Gatineau family had another week to wait but at least they were finally able to return home.

On the day of their departure, Nechamie & Gissel presented Noah with a dark blue velvet bag that had silver Hebrew writing on one side. "We just finished it," Nechamie said. "It's for your Dad."

"From Ariel," Gissel added. "She started it."

"It might be a while before I can get it to him," said Noah.

"We'll see," Nechamie said, stepping back so he could open the door of the truck the American military had sent. Once the escort had disappeared around the corner, she remarked to her sister, "Why do the cute ones always have to be gay in some way?"

The ride through the city was relatively without problem, though bombs & gunfire could be heard in the distance. They were stopped at the gate for a moment while their names were checked, causing a long pause at Noah Petrelli Bennet Gray. The officer peered into the vehicle for a moment. "Well I'll be damned. Sylar's son? That's quite the name you got to live upto, boy."

"Mind your businesses." Nehemiah snapped. "You might be fighting along side him soon. He is an exceptional sniper for the IDF."

The American officer quickly pulled away & let them through. Noah, on the other hand, went cold all over. He hadn't even thought of it, but what if he was called to duty now that he was free of Jerusalem City? He leaned back against Jason, wondering what it would be like to be out in the middle of this war. What if he had to kill someone? Would it come to that? He was not Sylar. He had never killed anyone in his life & if he ever had to, it would be by long distance. They wouldn't even know they had been killed by the son of Sylar. They would just be a statistic of war.

The escort took them right through to Haifa on the outskirts. Jason woke Noah up & they all got out, stretching stiff muscles. Nehemiah rented a car & brought them to the Gatineau home. But once they had gone inside, it was like losing Tirzah all over again. She was everywhere in the house. Her spare shawl still on the chair. He clothes in their, Nehemiah's now, room. Her scent. Her style of shiny colors decorating everything, mostly silver, as it was her favorite. The three of them ended up sitting on the back porch, having a few snacks to eat but barely touched them.

Nehemiah went to bed early so Noah took Jason out of the house. They got into the rental car with Noah driving & headed to the beach house after almost two months away from it. They spent about an hour at the house, making sure it was more or less the same since it had been left, then each took one car back, Jason in the rental & Noah with his Wraith.

Noah stayed with them for a few days, helping to get started on putting away Tirzah's things. They got rid of the rental car & used Noah's Wraith until Nehemiah & Jason could replace both their cars which had been lost in Jerusalem. Noah eventually drove to the other side of Haifa to a school friend who lived outside the city to get his dog back. Aviv growled at him before allowing Noah to pick him up.

"What?" Noah asked the dog. "I called every day. Did you not hear me?" Aviv just barked his disapproval. "He's lighter than usual." Noah held Aviv up to look the dog in the eyes. He could see a spot of white in each now. "I had hoped hearing my voice every day would help him. When Dad gave him to Mom, he disappeared for two weeks with no contact & stopped eating."

"He didn't eat much here either," said his friend. "The bombs here kept scaring him. He knew something was going on."

"Well, I better get him home & try to feed him some more," Noah put the dog in the back seat of the car. "Thanks for watching him, Shiva. Now, I owe you a ride in this, don't I?" He held the door to the front passenger side open. "Let's go. Dad said not to make a lady wait."

Shiva laughed as she got in. They drove around for an hour in the country before Noah dropped her off in her driveway. Aviv took the front seat where she had been as Noah pulled out onto the road. There was a bright flash behind him. The Wraith squealed to a stop. Noah whipped around in the seat to see through the back window just in time to watch Shiva's house collapse over her in a pile of exploding rubble.

"SHIVA!" Noah screamed though it was useless. Someone must have rigged her house while they were out & there was nothing left. Shiva was gone. The next moment, the back window shattered & a bullet hit Noah in the forehead. He just stared in surprise as the bullet basically bounced off him, his regen healing too fast to even allow blood to drip. He had never been shot at before & never had been hit. Aviv barked at him as if to tell him to get moving already. Noah turned back to face the front & floored it.

Noah informed the school during the next online session which only lasted a few minutes. The school was closing down until further notice. Everything was on hold & if they could, someday in the future it would resume as normal & simply spill into summer to catch up. He was able to get the Wraith fixed a few days later. It was miraculously unharmed apart from the shattered back window which was easily cleaned out & replaced.

Now that he had Aviv back, Noah returned to the beach house so that the dog would feel at home where he belonged & hopefully start eating more again. He pulled away from Jason & Nehemiah for a bit, knowing they needed some time alone. They kept contact by phone & Jason excitedly called him one day. He was allowed to pursue his dream again once things settled down. Commander Tohar also kept in touch with Noah. He had been listed in the reserves & could be called out at any time.

Noah sat on the couch for almost an hour, processing that. Any day now, he could end up killing people. He called the prison anyway after deciding he shouldn't. Who better to talk to about killing people than Sylar himself? Noah didn't tell him of his friend's house blowing up in front of him, or of getting shot already even if it didn't stick. Neither did he mention how American soldiers had watched him constantly. He kept a lot of things silent, knowing it would only frustrate Sylar who was stuck in a small cement box. He only talked a bit of Nehemiah & Jason, mentioned Jason was once more allowed to become a Rabbi, then after a long silence, he finally got to the whole point as to why he called. "So I might end up killing people in a few days," Noah explained.

"You're in one of the best militaries around," Sylar said. "In a country of constant unrest. It's bound to happen."

"I'm not you Dad," Noah said. "I don't know how to kill someone."

"In your case, you just point & shoot."

"Dad!"

"Sorry," Sylar laughed softly to himself, away from the speaker so Noah couldn't hear. "Noah, I'm just a common murderer. Not a soldier. I never went to war, but I've been at the center of it when Ariel died. It's a different type of killing. One based on religion, ethnics. I can't understand that. I'm not antisemitic or racist. It was really strange for me, seeing people gunned down just for being different. I don't know if I can help you here. I'm just a killer."

"Do you think you will get to come home soon?" Noah asked. "It would all go away if you were here."

"If Peter has his way, I'm stuck here forever," Sylar scoffed. He stood up & paced a few times before returning to the speaker. "Noah, if it comes to it, you just close yourself off. Close your eyes & pull that trigger. Just remember whoever you kill would gladly do the same to you or Jason. Look what they did to Tirzah. Not to mention what they do to a lot of the women before killing them. Just think of hunting an animal. Shoot it down."

"I really hope it's as simple as you make it out to be," said Noah.

"War is not simple."

Noah went to sleep that night in his father's bed. Aviv curled up beside him on the next pillow, like a giant cashew & snored in his ear. The dog had been unusually clingy, even going so far as to join Noah in the shower & just sat there staring at him. During the day, Noah noticed that Aviv still wasn't eating much so for the next few days, he focused on getting the dog back into a routine in the hopes that Aviv will calm down & go back to normal soon. They stretched out on the couch in the evening to watch a movie. Noah didn't dare look at the TV as it was constant live stream of what was going on & he was taking this one day off. Aviv soon abandoned him to go bark at the door.

"Hang on, I'm coming," Noah grumbled as Aviv barked more incessantly. He opened the door, expecting to let the dog out for a run, only to find several people waiting for him. "Rabbi Meltzer? What are you doing here?" He glanced over the others, noticing they were all of Sylar's Kabbalah group.

"We want to talk to you about something," Yacov began. "May we come in?"

"Uh yes," Noah gently kicked Aviv aside out of the way. "Of course."

Everyone filed into the living room. Some sat down on the couch while the others stood behind it. Yakov turned to Noah. "We are going to get your Dad back."

"How?" Noah stared at him. "He is under heavy guard & Uncle Peter has as many powers as he does."

"That's why we are all going," Yacov said. "It took us a while to get out of Haifa. They still have curfews in the bigger cities. So we slowly started leaving & stayed with someone in the country."

"We need to know where Rabbi Gray is being held," Jessica said. "Do you have any idea?"

"New York City," said Noah. "But how do you intend to get to America? The airports aren't open except for military personnel."

"Only in Israel," Raphael said. "We leaving the country by ground & then fly out. That's where we kind of need your help."

"Mine?"

"You can drive us near to the border," Yacov said.

"My Wraith is way too noticeable."

"We know," said Yacov. "You can use one of our cars. We only intend to use two. We hope to leave the rest here as if visiting. You will be driving back with my car & then you stay here & if anyone asks, you can say we just gathering for a Kabbalah visit."

"I came here by boat," Raphael said. "Parked it way out in the bay, far away & then used a life boat to get to shore. You can say we're on that."

"I highly doubt anyone will come here anyway," said Yacov. "You're way out in the country by the beach. We only intend to be gone a day or two. When we come back, we hope to have your father with us so it won't matter any more if people find out. It will be too late for them."

"You really think you can defeat Peter?" Noah asked.

"My distortion wave alone can defeat him," said Yacov. "I can hold off your Dad just fine with it, I can certainly throw off Peter."

"Once we get your Dad back," Jessica added. "He can help us handle Peter."

"I bet he'll love that," Noah laughed.

"First things first," Jessica went on. "We need to pinpoint his location. If you call him & keep him talking for a bit, I can figure out where he is & then we'll go."

Noah looked them all over. He knew this was crazy but Israel needed Sylar back. Three hundred years was too long. He felt like he was looking at a group of witches & wizards as if rescuing Harry Potter from the Dursleys. He suddenly realized this was exactly what was happening. He grabbed his phone & called the prison. Noah tried to keep his voice as even as possible, talking about random things, how Aviv was doing & perhaps Jason will come by later.

Jessica worked furiously on the computer with Raphael for several minutes. Noah was beginning to run out of stuff to say. Aviv barked & Noah used that as an excuse to put his father on hold to check on the dog & try to keep calm.

When he got back on the phone, the first thing Sylar asked was, "Alright Noah, what's really going on?"

Noah hoped & prayed & begged every God & Goddess that either Sylar's lie detection could not work over seas, or if it did, he would have the good sense to shut up about it. "Nothing, just tired," Noah sighed.

"You're too far for my lie detection," Sylar began & Noah almost collapsed with relief. "But I know something's up. Your voice is off."

"Yeah," Noah tried again. "Tired. So. I can lie to you over the phone then?" He suddenly asked.

"Shut up," Sylar muttered. "I will eventually find out about it. You should go to bed then, if you're tired."

"I will soon," Noah said. "It's my birthday next week. I kind of miss you."

"Noah," Sylar leaned against the wall. "I would give anything to be back with you. I know we have stuff to work out. Some day. This won't be forever."

"I know," Noah glanced around to check on Jessica & Raphael. Jessica suddenly shrieked & clapped her hands once. She glanced at Noah & nodded. They got the location!

"What was that?" Sylar demanded.

"Nothing. Aviv. Maybe," Noah replied much too fast. "I'm going to bed. Good night!" He hung up quickly.

"Noah NO!" Sylar glared at the speaker that had fallen silent. Something was definitely up.

"Alright," Raphael slapped the laptop closed. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Jason asked as he came in.

"What are you doing here?" Noah asked in surprise.

"I texted you earlier, saying I was coming over for the night," Jason pointed out.

Noah checked his phone. "Oh, uh, I was talking to Dad. We're busting him out."

"What?"

Noah explained it to him. "All I do is drop them off at the border, then come here & pretend they went out in the bay if anyone asks."

"Alright, we'll each take one of their cars & bring both back," Jason said.

"You're not coming!" Noah exclaimed.

"You have no choice," Jason said. "If you're using two cars to get to the border, leaving one behind will be suspicious. They don't need cars to get back since your Dad can teleport. So we both go & bring both cars back home."

"You're right," Noah gave up. "Get everyone into the cars. I'll take care of Aviv & then we leave." He picked up the dog to stop him from running out the front door as others hurried to the two chosen vehicles. Once Aviv was set up with plenty of food & water, Noah ran upstairs to grab the velvet bag from under Sylar's bed. He lay half under the bed for a moment before grabbing the old gold gun as well. After checking it, he was both surprised & shocked to find it was fully loaded. Sylar meant business!

Noah got into the car with Jessica driving it. "We already have an obscure route picked out," Jessica said.

Noah handed her the bag. "Make sure my Dad gets this." Jessica put the strap over her head to rest on her shoulder & started the car.

They drove late into the night, using back roads & a few times went off road right across the desert. As they got closer to the border, they stayed off road more often, driving through sand & over dunes. They circumvented Nazareth on the right & later, Tiberius on the left, missing the main roads towards both towns. In a small dark plain close to where three countries, Israel, Jordan & Syria, met at the corner, both cars finally stopped & unloaded. The rest would have to be on foot over the hills since Israel was shut down.

Jason stayed behind with the cars while Noah followed the others into the hills & watched them cross over into Jordan, narrowly missing the land of Syria. They were to meet with someone from another Kabbalist group there to fly out to America. Noah returned to the cars where Jason was waiting for him.

Bombs & gunfire could be heard in the distance. They were to drive nonstop straight back to Noah's house but the problem was, it had already been a long drive one way, not to mention stressful, dodging warzones. Noah could press on easily due to his power but Jason was a mortal being & he was looking quite tired.

"You should rest for a bit," Noah said. "Just an hour. No one is here in this dusty dark plain."

"We're too close to Syria & the Golan Heights," Jason pointed out. "We can not only hear but also see some of the fighting going on if we go on the ridge behind us. I checked it out while you were gone. We need to leave. Now."

"You think you can drive all the way back to Haifa?"

"Do we have a choice?" Jason opened the driver's door on his car. "I hope they get your Dad back."

"It's upto them now," Noah went towards his car. "You drive in front so I can keep an eye on you." He glanced up to see a small plane take off. Well, more like heard it as they kept the lights off until well out of sight. "If they make it to the ocean, they'll be fine."

The plane flew low over the mountains, rising up as they headed towards the ocean. Two jets came up on either side. "Americans," the pilot said. "I got some friends there who owed me some favors. Said I need to get across to the Atlantic Ocean. They'll guard us."

Yacov couldn't help but laugh. "I take it you didn't tell them we're going to free their worst enemy then."

"All they know is I need to get across Israel," the pilot returned. "But Sylar isn't their enemy since they are fighting for Israel. He'll be their best weapon."

"Let's hope they understand that," Yacov replied.

The American jets could be felt rumbling through the walls of their own dark plane. It was a while before the jets spun off & minimal light came on. It was a strange feeling leaving the war behind, having nothing but the world's biggest ocean under them for the next several hours. The flight was quickly becoming uncomfortable, being cramped in a small area without the luxury of a Boeing.

It was late afternoon when the small plane touched down in New York City. Lots of disgruntled complaints & stretching happened as the group spilled out onto the tarmac. Once used to standing again, they went through customs rather easily since the only thing anyone brought was what they were wearing, their wallets & the velvet bag Noah had given Jessica.

Soon, everyone stepped out of the airport into the city itself. Several looked around in awe, most having never set foot outside of Israel. "Alright, this is a rescue mission, not a tour," Yacov reminded them.

"This is the city he lived in!" Merida exclaimed.

"Yeah, you DO remember how many people died here because of him, right?" Yakov pointed out. "He had no control of his powers until Shlomo took care of him." He rolled his eyes. "Jessica, where are those coordinates?"

"Right here," She rolled up her sleeve to reveal where she had written them in light blue Sharpie ink on her black arm.

"Ok first thing we need to do is find Peter," Yacov said. "I'll keep him busy with my distortion. The rest of you can combine powers & get Gabriel out."

"That's easy," Jessica pulled out her phone. "I'll just get Noah to talk to Peter & ask him where he is." They waited about ten minutes for a reply. "Oh," Jessica stared at the screen. "Peter is with Rabbi Gray right now. His turn to watch him."

"That's perfect," Yacov said. "Let's go!"

They made their way to an abandoned apartment building. The main entrance doors had yellow caution tape hanging in tatters. Yacov pushed them open & let everyone through. It had been gutted inside with no floors or stairs going up any more. Only a few large pillars & partitions remained. After several minutes of searching for any door besides the one they had just used to get in, they gathered near the center of the cement floor. "There's nothing here," Raphael said.

"But this is the place we tracked down," Jessica said.

They glanced around at hearing the doors bang. Someone was coming in. Everyone quickly scattered as quietly as possible, hiding behind the bones of the building. A black man walked to the far left corner & leaned over to pull a loose brick out of the floor. He put his hand into the hole & tapped on something. Jessica focused on listening to him thinking the code. A trap door sprang up & the man disappeared. A few seconds later, it closed down behind him, smoothing into the cement around it with the same uniform color. Jessica pulled out a pen & wrote what she heard on her other arm.

"I think that was Micah," Raphael whispered as everyone slowly came out of hiding. "He can tell machines what to do."

"We might need him then to open the cell down there," Yacov said. He looked at Jessica. "You got the code?"

"I think so," Jessica hurried over to the small rectangular hole in the ground. She bent down to start tapping but the thing sprang open before she could do anything & out came Peter.

"Is there something I can do for you Ma'am?" Peter stood blocking the way down. Jessica was absolutely mortified & was unable to speak. "It's alright," Peter tried again. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you really shouldn't be lurking in dark abandoned places. You could run into a killer." Jessica heard the unspoken thought. Peter had thought himself rather clever, since Sylar was literally just below him.

/Telepathic are you?/ Peter instantly pushed into her mind. Jessica yelped & stepped back, pressing her hands to her head. "I am sorry!" Peter moved towards her & put a hand on her shoulder. "Yours is different from mine. I got mine off Matt Parkman." With his own telekinetic force, Peter pushed Jessica back towards the wall. "You're one of his, aren't you?" Peter went on. "A Jewish girl from his Kabbalah group." He pressed her against the wall without touching her. "You're a bit far from home & I highly doubt you came alone." He looked around. "Hello Yacov. I remember you."

Yacov rolled his eyes. Next moment, Peter was flung backwards & let go of Jessica as the distortion wave hit him at almost point blank. "I got him," Yacov said. "Go now!"

Jessica threw herself down the stairs, sliding down on her front, bumping along before Peter had a chance to right himself or grab her again. She landed on the next level down & in front of a door. Raphael, Merida & a few others soon joined her. They could hear Yacov & Peter above them.

"What are you doing?" Peter demanded.

"We need Gabriel back! Now!"

"You can't," Peter tried to stand. The distortion wave was still on him & any power he tried ended up hitting walls. He stopped when his electric bolt cut down a pillar before he ended up causing the place to collapse. "Just let me take care of him. Please."

"Israel won't last another week, let alone three centuries," Yacov said. "Have you seen what's been happening to my country?"

"Yes," Peter finally managed to stand up. "Of course. I hate it but America is there now. Canada. A few others. They are helping you."

"They are dying for us," Yacov replied coldly. "Uselessly & it's your fault."

"America is trying to help you," Peter said. "It's not America's fault!"

"I didn't say America!" Yacov snapped. "I said YOURS! Peter! You took him away from us. You & the blonde witch are responsible for exposing magic to everyone. Both of you have sorely misused your gift to the point where it is destroying both our counties & dragging others into it. Our enemies have acquired abilities now, all thanks to you. The Allies can't fight that. But Gabriel can!"

Peter tried to speak as calmly as possible. "I think you are putting too much faith in one man."

"You really don't get it do you?" Yacov shoved Peter back with his distortion wave. "Gabriel isn't just another guy. He is very special to us!"

Jessica threw open the door & stepped aside, letting Raphael & the four other guys charge in to pounce on Micah who had stood up in surprise. Next moment, he was on the ground under a pile like in a foot ball game. The others filed in afterwards while Jessica ran down three more flights of stairs & came out onto a bridge crossing the underground water. She hurried across it to the hall in front of the multi-paned window.

"Rabbi!" Jessica threw herself on the glass, hands up to prevent her face smashing it.

Sylar got off the bed & went as close to her as possible. "What took you guys so long?"

Jessica looked down on him. "Israel is almost done for." Sylar could only stare at her. "Didn't Peter tell you anything?"

"Why would he?"

"Good point," Jessica looked to her right. She went to the door.

"Wait, don't open it yet," Sylar stopped her. "This mist is a drug. Makes people sluggish. You won't be able to use your power if it gets out. Turn it off first."

Jessica moved back to the window. "How?"

"There's a lever here but to shut it off completely, you're better off at the control room so no one else can turn it on again."

Jessica pulled the bag off over her head. "This is for you. Ariel had started it a long time ago." She placed it into the slot for the meal trays & pushed the button to slide it in.

"Ariel made something for me?" Sylar picked up the velvety bag.

"She started it but Nechamie & Gissel had to finish it," said Jessica. "I'll get this mist turned off."

Sylar turned the bag over in his hands to find the Hebrew writing on it: 'Jehovah's Glory'. He knew some sects of the faith proclaimed the name while others kept it silent & some went so far as to put a line in place of the middle letter in the word god. He opened it up & pulled out the black folded material. It looked like a blanket but when it fell open, Sylar's eyes went wide as he stared at it for a long moment.

The power suddenly shut down & everything went black for a moment before the dim emergency lights came on. A soft hiss told Sylar that the door was now unlocked. He put the soft strap over his head & let the empty bag rest by his hip & then sat down cross-legged on the floor for a few minutes, holding the black shawl in his lap. The white steam slowly faded. His head cleared soon after the mist disappeared. His first thought was to go after Peter but he knew there was no time for that right now. Deal with Peter later! He could hear fighting going on close by.

Sylar stood up, swung the shawl around over his shoulders & pulled the edge up to cover his head. The door opened as if nothing had touched it. He marched out into the hall & headed for the bridge to find two more of his group trying to hold off Micah who had come to try closing Sylar into the cell. At the sight of Sylar coming towards them, Micah gave up & tried to step back. Sylar latched onto him by force, tipped Micah over into the water below & let him swim to the edge.

Micah found the ladder & pulled himself up, looking for all the world like a disgruntled soaking cat. "You won't get away with this Sylar!"

"I already have." Sylar's next move was to grab Raphael & his friend to teleport them into his own home back in Israel. He went back to the bridge, having seen it quite clearly in his mind now & was able to go back to it. He ended up between Micah & Jessica.

"Sylar," Micah held up his phone. "Don't."

Sylar had no clue what Micah was going to do but Jessica was looking upwards. She suddenly shoved Sylar forward. "Rabbi, look out!"

Something came crashing down, knocking Jessica over. It was a cage to trap Sylar & a wire had connected it to a machine. Sylar straightened up & glared at Micah. "My entire Kabbalah is here, isn't it?" He latched onto Micah's phone by force & flipped it over into the water below. "You really think you can defeat them? It's just you & Peter." Another shove of force power & Micah was thrown all the way back into the hall & through the door to land in the cell. He leaned over to check on Jessica but something hit him from the side & Sylar went down hard.

"Gabriel, what are you doing?" Peter stood over him.

Sylar saw Yacov stumble in behind Peter. They shared a silent look before both hit Peter at the same time. Yacov turned on his distortion wave once more, focusing it on Peter so Sylar could use his own force power to grab Peter & throw him down the hall after Micah.

"Sorry Rabbi," Yacov leaned over, panting. "I was getting tired. He is quite strong."

"I know," Sylar looked over the railing again. "Jessica's down there. Why hasn't she come up yet?"

"What?" Yacov was beside Sylar in an instant. "She can't swim!"

Sylar flung his force power down into the water, shoving the broken cage aside. He pushed around to find her & pulled her body up. Jessica didn't move as he took her into his arms & laid her on the bridge. She wasn't breathing. Sylar felt her neck for any pulse. Peter had righted himself & came back by the time Jessica had been pulled from the water. Sylar sat back on his heels, kneeling beside her & pushed the covering down to his shoulders. He looked at Peter. "You're the only one who can save her right now. Even if either of us put our blood in her, she needs that water out of her lungs first." Peter nodded & moved towards them.

"Rabbi, what are you doing?" Yacov demanded.

"Peter was a paramedic a long time ago," Sylar told him. "He can fix Jessica." He got up & pulled Yacov away.

"Let's get her upstairs," Peter grabbed Jessica & teleported into the office & quickly went to work on her. While the others fell silent, watching in concern as Peter compressed Jessica's chest & alternated with breaths, Sylar moved away to the computer. He looked over what was going on Israel. A loud gasp & choking made him look around just in time to see Peter stab Jessica with a needle & pushed in a vial of blood. "That's to prevent any brain damage," Peter told her. "You were out for a while." Jessica merely nodded, putting a hand to her forehead. "You'll feel lightheaded for a bit. It will clear up soon." Peter stood up. Next moment, he was punched so hard, he was flung back & hit the wall.

"That was for letting Israel go to hell," Sylar snapped. "Do I ever have a mess to clean up!" He nodded to the others who quickly clustered around him. Peter threw himself forward at Sylar's feet & grabbed the hem of the black tallit just as everyone disappeared.


End file.
